Black and Blue
by Liz Inc
Summary: [EDIT] He had found her, he had loved her, and he had lost her. But due to fate's merciful and mysterious ways, he inexplicably manages to cross paths with her once more. The only problem is that he's not exactly the same 'demon' he used to be...[KurBo]
1. Find Her!

This story is dedicated to my good friend **Blackbelt**. I am _so_ incredibly sorry for the long delay!

**NOTE:** Before I begin, I would like to make a few things clear:

First of all, Botan is not going to be Koenma's little "ferry girl" that aids Yusuke in all of his missions and sends deceased people to the spiritual realm. Hinegeshi, from the YYH movie _Poltergeist Report_, will be taking over that job for her. However, unlike her movie character, _my_ Hinegeshi will have the gift of telepathy.

Botan will also be somewhat OOC, and this is because she is going to be part of a rare breed of demons known as Veela (actually, she's only a half demon, but I'll get to that later). A Veela's power and appearance will be explained later on, if not in this chapter then surely the next. (And yes, I know that Veela are beautiful "women" from the Harry Potter series, and that, when angered, transform into some sort of deranged, rabid bird. But I can assure you that in this story they are going to be quite different.)

Next, there will be one OOC portrayed within this story, and her name is Callie. (Some of you might have read about this particular persona in a couple of BlackBelt's stories, and this is because the character actually belongs to her—and yes, I do encourage you all to go and read her work if you haven't already. It's awesome!) In this specific story, she'll be a feisty, cat-like demon, able to transform into any breed of feline that she wishes (both normal and abnormal alike). And upon reverting back into her human-like form, she keeps the ears and tail of the species of cat she had just been. I'll explain/portray her human appearance and personality later on in this chapter.

Last but not least, Keiko and Shizuru know about everything. This takes place before the Dark Tournament, so I just wanted to make that clear to avoid confusion.

**Pairings**: Kurama/Botan and Hiei/OOC, with _very_ minor Yusuke/Keiko and Kuwabara/Yukina

"talking"

'thoughts'

(sighs, gasps, coughs, etc.)

Rated **M** for language.

**Disclaimer**: There are many things that I do not own: among them are Yu Yu Hakusho, the word "Veela" and the OOC, Callie. That leaves me with…well, nothing really. (O.o)

**oooOOOooo**

Chapter 1: **Find Her!**

The four victorious fighters gazed wordlessly after the petite girl's retreating silhouette, contentedly listening to the puffy, white snow fall silently around them. That is, until an impatient _someone_ couldn't keep his big mouth shut any longer…

"(sniff) Goodbye, Yukina! Goodbye, my love! I will miss you more than the sun that fills the bright, morning sky! I will miss you more than the moon that fills the—er—dark _evening_ sky! I will miss you more than the—_ow_! What the hell was that for, Urameshi!" Kuwabara whimpered softly as he placidly rubbed the small lump that had suddenly surfaced on top of his scalp. "Meany."

"Sorry man, but you were seriously starting to get on my nerves…hey, don't look at me like that! It was either my fist _to_ your skull, or Hiei's sword _through_ your skull!" Yusuke retaliated in response to his obtuse friend's vicious glare. "So quit crying like a stupid baby!"

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of completely disconnecting his cranium from the rest of his body," Hiei remarked tediously. "But your idea is good too."

Kuwabara's irate visage instantly twisted into one of anxious fear. "Uh…" He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, all the while slowly backing away from the dark demon's small frame. "D-don't you dare come any closer, you three-eyed freak! Or…or I may be forced to do something _very_ drastic!" Following his articulate warning, Kuwabara proceeded to hold up his fists and take on a sloppy fighting stance, narrowing his eyes like an angry lion.

"Please, save your childish antics for someone who actually cares," the black haired apparition droned, rolling his eyes and shoving his bandaged hands into his pockets.

The orange haired fighter let out a fierce growl, preparing to lunge at his negligent intimidator if necessary. "Hey! At least I'm not three feet tall, weighing in at 75 measly pounds!"

Kurama gave off a tired sigh as he, silent and furtive as a fox, came up from behind the large boy and pinned his flailing arms behind his back, easily overpowering him. "That'll be quite enough, Kuwabara. This is hardly necessary."

Hiei merely smirked as he tilted his head in the fox's direction. "See? What did I tell you? We're babysitters. And it really irritates me to think that this is what superior crime lords like us have been reduced to: pathetic, human babysitters."

Yusuke lifted an amused brow and crossed his arms. "Pardon?"

The mischievous sprite scoffed. "You heard me."

"Then I'll pretend like I hadn't."

"Pretend whatever the hell you want. It doesn't make a difference to me."

"Clearly."

Meanwhile, Kuwabara, who was still a cuffed captive of Kurama, appeared to have regained most of his composure, for he was gazing contentedly off in the direction that the tiny ice princess had gone, salivating like a hungry puppy. "(sigh) _Yukina_. Yukina, Yukina, _Yukina_."

Kurama, feeling that it was now safe to do so, slowly released the drooling boy from his custody, curiously eyeing the beating, pink hearts that had suddenly consumed his coal, black eyes. He turned towards Yusuke and Hiei, his expression half perplexed, half amused. "Well…that didn't take very long."

"Hey, the guy does have a one-track mind, so naturally, when it comes to the ladies, all other thoughts, no matter how important, are immediately overridden and he is suddenly transformed into this…well…" Yusuke motioned towards his goofy friend with a wave of his hand. "This drooling, incoherent _thing_."

He sniggered along with Kurama for a few moments as their ridiculed partner cursed bitterly under his breath, but stopped suddenly as he randomly began to shiver. He carefully focused his chocolaty eyes on the warm, visible air that slowly drifted from his nose and mouth each time he exhaled. Funny...he had almost forgotten that they were still standing out in the middle of a giant blizzard.

"_Damn_ I'm freezing. Whaddya say we all get outta here? I'm sure Keiko's anxiously awaiting my return to the living world, because now she's got a new excuse to slap me upside the head—and no people, I'm afraid that it is _not_ the invention of Advil."

"Heh, heh. Sucks to be you!" Kuwabara exclaimed in on overly sarcastic tone. "Too bad you don't have a girlfriend like Yukina. She's perfect in every single—_ow_! Dammit, Urameshi! Would you _please_ stop doing that!"

Yusuke snorted and shoved his frozen hands into his pockets. "If you shut your stupid trap and never open it again unless you promise to _permanently_ cease saying things that you _know_ will tick me off, then yes, I will stop smacking you." He paused for a moment to let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Alas, I know for a fact that hell has a better chance of freezing over, so I have no idea why I'm even bothering to have this conversation with you."

"Hey, why don't you come over here and say that to my face!"

"Hn. Ya know, I'm beginning to think that Mr. High 'n Mighty should start paying us for wasting our time assisting those two morons," Hiei remarked arrogantly as he and Kurama slowly walked off.

The red-haired fox grinned. "Don't push your luck, Hiei. Remember, we're still on probation."

"Says who? That insignificant toddler? Like I actually give a damn what he says."

Suddenly, a high pitched ringing sound filled the quiet, night air. The two demons stopped dead in their tracks, slightly tilted their heads to either side, and strained their ears to listen.

"Hmm. Maybe the adolescent Lord has fallen and can't get up."

"If you say so."

"On second thought, he probably misplaced that disgusting mouthpiece of his requires immediate assistance locating its whereabouts."

"I'm sure."

"You know, you're much too rational. Must be because you're so damn old."

Kurama raised a brow. "I'll pretend like I didn't hear that; for your _own_ sake." He smirked as he tuned back into what was being said behind them.

"Aw, shit! Koenma couldn't _possibly_ be that stupid!" Yusuke moaned, frantically fumbling through his pockets. "Stupid communication mirror…" He growled impatiently as he caught hold the ringing device and yanked it from one of his back pockets. "And doesn't _anyone_ seem to realize that this stupid thing looks like a fricken make-up compart—_what_!"

The person on the other line rolled their eyes. "(sigh) Think Yusuke: is that any way to talk to a lady?"

The young detective smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Heh, heh. _Hey_ there Hinegeshi! Wassup?" He laughed nervously at her upturned expression. "Sorry, I could have sworn that it was gonna be pacifier-breath."

Hinegeshi slowly shook her head. "I'm sure." Ignoring his pathetic attempt to uphold an innocent facade, she continued. "Look. Koenma needs you up here, pronto. I know it's a little early to start another mission, but this was really unexpected, not to mention urgent."

Yusuke snorted. "A _little_ early? Yeah, that's one big-ass understatement if I ever did hear one."

Kuwabara slowly stepped up beside his friend and peered into the two-way glass. "Oh, uh…hey Hinegeshi." To Yusuke, he added, "Dude, what's goin' on?"

"Another mission," he replied grimly. "Another mission that the little missy over here _thinks_ I'm gonna attend to, but has another thing coming." He went to snap the mirror closed, but Kuwabara snatched it from his hand before he could.

"Urameshi! Don't you think that you should at least hear what she has to say before you deem it unworthy of your time?"

Yusuke stared daftly at his friend for a few moments before angrily retorting: "What are you now, some fricken philosopher? I mean, come _on_! Do you not see that we're still standing in the middle of a goddamn snowstorm, freezing our stupid asses off!" He let out a long sigh before continuing, breathing a puff of visible air into the cold, night sky. "Besides, I'm tired, I'm in some serious pain, and, more importantly, I refuse to miss any more Saturday evening cartoons. Period. End of discussion."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Whatever that fool wants now doesn't concern me." And within a matter of milliseconds, he was gone, the snowy wind carefully obscuring his light tracks behind him.

Kurama, however, remained where he was standing. Assisting them was the least he could do after Yusuke had somehow convinced the Forlorn Hope to spare his life. With a smirk, he thought, 'And I wonder how long it will take Hiei to remember that he is indebted as well.'

"So I don't really care what she has to say. I've been through a lot already, and I want to go home."

Kuwabara sighed. "Gee, Urameshi. Could you sound any more selfish?"

Yusuke snarled and began to crack his aching knuckles. "You're asking for it, buddy. You're _really_ asking for it!"

"Yusuke…_please,_" came Hinegeshi's tired plea.

Kuwabara nodded, pointing to the red head's distraught expression. "See? You heard the lady. And she even said please!"

Yusuke groaned inwardly. This new mission was _obviously_ going to be unavoidable, wasn't it?

"Alright. Fine." He quickly snatched the mirror back from his friend's hands. "What the hell does the little guy want now?"

"Um, Lord Koenma prefers to discuss it with you up here…in his office. It's quite, uh…" She paused for a brief moment as she cautiously shifted her austere, golden gaze in either direction, lowering her voice to an almost inaudible whisper as she said: "It's quite confidential."

"Confidential, you say?" the spirit detective asked, slowly nodding his head and rubbing his chin with his free hand. He then leaned in real close to the screen, his face contorting into a frustrated snarl: "You seem to forget," he began, his voice level increasing with each word he spoke, "...that I'm currently standing in the middle of fucking _**nowhere**_! Who the hell could _possibly_ hear us!"

"Yeah, you could at least tell us who-or-what we're dealing with," Kuwabara agreed. "I mean, is there another hoard of wicked criminals on the loose? Another psychic in need of an apprentice? Or perhaps another beautiful princess in need of rescue—_not_ that I'd be interested in her in any way since I'm with Yukina now 'n all, but still. I'm up for the challenge."

Yusuke raised a brow. "Wait…_we're_? As in _we_? As in the _two_ of us?"

Kuwabara grinned. "Well, yeah! I mean you definitely wouldn't have been able to defeat Toguro without me, so I think it would be best if I were to accompany you on every single mission that you're assigned to from now on! Although I do have one rule…"

"Dude, I really don't—"

"I absolutely _refuse_ to be your sidekick. If anything, you should be mine!"

Yusuke smiled nervously. "Heh, heh…sure. You go right ahead and think that."

"I will."

"He's right, Yusuke. Strength is greater in numbers."

The spirit detective grinned as he looked up from his pocket mirror. "So…fox boy's decided to stay after all. Then I'm guessing that was Hiei I sensed disappear moments earlier...heh. I should've known."

"Yes. You should have," Kurama replied, smirking slightly.

Kuwabara blinked in confusion. "Um, I never sensed anything. Was I supposed to or something?"

Hinegeshi's brow began to furiously furrow. "You-hoo! He-_llo_! I'm still here! (sigh) Look. Would you all please just—"

"HINEGESHI! WHY THE HELL AREN'T THEY HERE YET! For the love of my father—TELL YUSUKE TO GET HIS DAMN ASS OVER HERE…_NOW_! That stupid girl! She hung up on me again! Dammit-dammit-dammit-dammit-_YUSUKE_!"

"What the hell is eating him?" Kuwabara whispered, brows quirked and eyes bulging.

Hinegeshi laughed nervously. "Um, as you can plainly see, he's gone totally loco. Turns out we have some startling new news concerning Toguro, but more importantly…we need you to help us track someone down."

"Is he an escaped convict?" Yusuke asked, feeling much less reluctant. "Eh, well…I guess I can be up for a good _man_-hunt."

"No, _she's_ not. Just please, come quickly! Koenma's starting to—"

"HINEGESHI! WHY THE HELL DOES SHE KEEP HANGING UP ON ME! More importantly…WHY THE HELL DID SHE LEAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE! (sigh) I just _don't_ under…WHAT THE _HELL_ IS IT NOW, GEORGE!"

"Um, well uh, you see sir—"

"YOU _STUPID_ OAF! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY! SPIT IT OUT NOW, OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"O-okay sir! I'm holding my tongue, sthee? Yesth, anduh I'm leathing nowuh thoo!"

The three boys stared on with concern as Hinegeshi continued to cringe and fiercely grind her teeth. Once she was able to relax her jaw, she smiled sweetly and said, "So Yusuke. Would you please be so kind as to grace us with your humble presence and save us from our leader's wild and demented wrath? I'm sure Kurama would be more than _happy_ to escort you."

Kuwabara pushed his friend's head out of the way so he could get a better look into the mirror. "Of course he will! And he shall be accompanied by the great Kazuma Kuwabara, because he _too_ is greatly concerned about this missing mystery lady in need!"

Yusuke angrily shooed his dim-witted classmate away while Hinegeshi rolled her eyes. "Um…sure. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I'm going to go find myself a pair of earplugs."

And the screen went blank.

The spirit detective frowned as he snapped his communicator shut. "That's weird. Why the hell would they need us to find someone if they aren't a criminal?"

"More importantly, why do they wish to further enlighten us about a demon that's supposed to be dead?" Kurama added, his expression stern.

"Maybe that missing gal's the toddler's girlfriend or something," Kuwabara suggested, unfazed by Kurama's remark about their former adversary. "Although, I'm not sure I wanna know why a talking baby would even _have_ such a thing."

Yusuke shot Kurama a furtive glance as his orange-haired friend walked on ahead, still mumbling to himself. "You don't think he's still alive, do you?"

Kurama quivered a bit as he shoved his icy hands into his pockets. "You mean Toguro?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah…_him_. You don't think, do you? Because if he is, then we are _so_ friggin' screwed."

The fox lowered his gaze to the snowy ground. "Yes. I'm afraid we would be."

The spirit detective grimaced. "So let's hope I'm wrong."

**oooOOOooo**

George cautiously reentered Koenma's office. At first glance, the room appeared to be empty, but upon further inspection, the horned ogre was able to locate the top of his supervisor's hat, frantically pacing back and fourth behind the large, marble desk on the opposite end of the room. "Uh, sir?" he asked uncertainly. "Is this all really…necessary?"

The blue hat abruptly froze, slowing rising higher and higher until it revealed its owner's fiery brown glare. "Is all _what _necessary, you stupid buffoon?"

The blue-skinned demon laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Um, well, you know...requiring Yusuke and the others to search for Botan. I mean, the chances they'll actually find her are so slim. You know she's difficult to find unless she _wants_ to be—"

"You _dare_ to question my authority?" the tiny prince bellowed, levitating high above his desk.

"Uh, no sir! Not at all! It's just that—"

"I think now would be a good time for you to zip it George," Hinegeshi warned as she materialized atop Koenma's desk.

Koenma nodded and slowly floated over towards the window, clasping his hands behind his back. "Yes ogre. Listen to the woman. She's got more brains than you."

George whimpered and held up his hands. "But I'm afraid that you're mistaken, my Lord. I wasn't trying to—" He quickly cut himself off as he noticed the red haired ferry girl glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. He smiled sheepishly and made a swift zipping motion across his mouth.

"Dammit Yusuke. Why won't he hurry the hell up! The longer he takes to get here, the more time Botan has to get away! Ug. She _knows_ that the Dark Tournament is coming up in a matter of months, and she _knows_ that Toguro is still alive! Frick, she was here an hour ago when we viewed that blasted tape of his revival! So why? Why now!"

Hinegeshi sighed and rolled her eyes, "Oh for the love of…have you ever stopped to think that it may've been because of your crude little comment about how she was far too 'sexy' to dress like a man? Too lithe? Too '_delicious'_?" She shook her head. "Honestly, Koenma. You _know_ how much she despises being treated like a thoughtless object, a weakling—a _lifeless_ piece of food!"

Koenma laughed aloud and plopped back down into his throne-like chair. "Nonsense! I bet it was because she was afraid I was going to make her enter the tournament. Either that, or her stupid cat convinced her to disappear. To think that little bitch has more influence over her than me…it's just plain preposterous."

George gasped, apparently forgetting he had zipped his mouth shut, for he exclaimed: "Sir! You know how much Callie hates it when you call her that!"

"Heh. He must have forgotten what happened last time," Hinegeshi remarked, grinning.

Koenma cringed. "As a matter of fact, I haven't. But, fortunately for me, it looks like as if she wasn't around to hear it this time; so there. Besides, I'm the Prince of Reikai. There's nothing she can do to me that I can't punish her for."

Hinegeshi nodded slowly, rolling her eyes at George as she said: "Of course, Sir. You just keep telling yourself that." The ogre stifled a laugh.

All of a sudden, the large, golden double-doors swung open to reveal four dark silhouettes. One of them raised their arms high in the air and proceeded to step forward into the light, loudly proclaiming, "Alright, Koenma, we're here! And we managed to pick up a very reluctant and ungrateful demon with a third eye along the way too, so it looks like ya got the entire gang at your mercy for this one!"

"Hn."

Koenma slowly shook his head. "So. This is the thanks I get for breaking the rules and allowing _live_ humans to enter my office, huh?"

Yusuke smirked as Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei stepped up behind him. "Yeah, Koenma. This is what you get." He haughtily crossed his arms, his smirk curving into a sneer. "Take it or leave it."

"Yusuke, I'd can it before he decides to light you on fire," Hinegeshi snapped, jumping down from the desk to confront him. "Besides, it's crucial that you help us!"

"That it is, Hinegeshi," Koenma remarked, floating up from his chair. "Ogre, fetch me the remote."

"Certainly, Koenma Sir!" George exclaimed, standing up straight. With a quick salute, he was gone.

"And Hinegeshi, would you mind calling the girl again? Maybe, by some miracle, she hasn't yet smashed her communicator to bits."

"I'll try," she replied with a sigh. And with a quick flick of her wrist, she was gone.

Yusuke raised a brow. "Wait a minute. This chick's got a communication mirror? What, are we being contracted to hunt down your sister or something?"

"Or is she _more_ then just a sister?" Kuwabara interrogated, giving the confused toddler a stern glare.

While Yusuke rolled his eyes, Kurama muffled his laughter, and Hiei drew his sword, Koenma stared at him like he had a third leg growing out of his brain. His face then grew rather angry as he retorted, "Would somebody _please_ put a muzzle on him? I'm not exactly in the mood to deal with incompetent fools right now." Under his breath he added, "As if I don't have to put up with enough of them already."

Kuwabara blinked a couple of times in confusion. "Um…what the heck does _incompetent_ mean?"

Yusuke sniggered. "Not knowing what it means should be a clear indication."

"Shut up, Urameshi. Nobody asked you," came his ungrateful retort.

"I had a feeling that this would be an utter waste of my time," the black-haired clairvoyant remarked as he sheathed his sword. "I'll be leaving now."

Kurama sighed. "Hiei, that's exactly what you said ten minutes ago."

Hiei slowly turned, pointing to his expressionless face with his index finger as he replied, "Note how much I care."

"Humph. That just goes to show what a heartless bastard you really are," Kuwabara sneered, crossing his arms and shoving his nose into the air.

Yusuke sighed. "I'd lay off if I were you, Kuwabara. You remember what he said earlier…that he _likes_ to decapitate annoying, orange-haired monkeys like you."

"Actually," Hiei corrected, "I was thinking more along the lines of _impaling_ this time." He smirked maliciously and crossed his arms. "Unless you'd prefer decapitation. Because I'm up for either."

"Good Lord—when will the torment end?" Hinegeshi mouthed as she rematerialized in the corner of the office. It was obvious, by the expression on her face, that her attempt to reach the girl had failed.

Kuwabara screamed and ducked behind the floating toddler. "KOENMA! ARREST THIS FIEND! I mean, you heard him! He's…he's trying to KILL ME!"

As the screaming and arguments continued, Koenma's face grew redder and redder, smoke piled fourth from his ears, and his fists began to violently shake.

The red-haired ferry girl slowly lifted her hand to her forehead and began to count: "Three…"

"Boys…" the Prince softly began, his voice hoarse and short of breath.

"Two…"

"Would you all _please_…"

"One…"

"**SHUT THE **_**FUCK**_** UP!**"

The talking ceased as quickly as it had began as the four fighters snapped their heads in the booming toddler's direction, eyes wide in bewilderment.

"I have important business to attend to subsequent to our little meeting, and wish to assign you you're mission as quickly and painlessly as possible! But I can't do that if you're all ceaselessly screaming like the stupid SKY IS FALLING!" He paused for a moment to irately gnaw on his pacifier. "Now. Will there be any more interruptions before begin?"

"_I'm afraid so…"_ came his vicious reply.

Koenma's mouth fell open as he gaped at the source of the growling voice. "Oh crap…"

Kuwabara peeked out from behind the infant's small frame, screaming in response: "HOLY SHIT! SOMEBODY CALL THE POLI—oh wait, that would be Yusuke…YUSUKE! DO SOMETHING!"

"Uh, Koenma?" Yusuke inquired softly, ignoring the his screaming friend. "Why is there a giant wild-cat standing in your doorway?"

"I must admit, I had no idea that caracals could grow to such a monstrous size," Kurama mused, looking somewhat baffled.

The huge reddish-brown feline crouched low to the ground, slowly stalking the group as if they were to be its next meal.

"Everyone," Hinegeshi sighed, smiling wanly as she pointed at the angry demon. "Meet Callie: the shape shifting feline."

"It…has a _name_?" Yusuke squeaked, his face contorting into one of utter bewilderment and disgust. However, it quickly converted into one of fear as he noticed the horrible, toothy snarl the feline had suddenly directed his way.

Hinegeshi rolled her eyes and sent him a quick mental message: 'It's a _she_ Yusuke…a _she_.'

He laughed nervously and held up his hands. "Right, right—a she, a _she_! That's totally what I meant! Seriously! Truthfully! _Honestly_!" To himself he added, 'So would you _please_ stop looking at me like that?'

Satisfied, the angry caracal redirected her snarl towards the cowering prince. "_Koenma…you know how much I hate it when you refer to me as a female DOG!" _

Sweat poured profusely from the miniature prince's brow as he squeaked, "B-but Callie! I—"

"_DON'T_ _PLAY DUMB WITH ME YOU STUPID HALF-PINT! IT JUST DEBASES ME EVEN MORE!"_ She swiftly zipped past the crowd of boys and jumped onto the toddler's desk, pinning him against the back of his chair with her large brown paws. "_And although I loathe the way you treat me, I hate it even more when you find some stupid 'n sick way to humiliate, anger, and frustrate Botan! You remember what I said last time, don't you? That the next time you were to aggravate her in ANY way, I'd come hunt you down and TARE you LIMB FROM LIMB!"_

Kurama's body stiffened. 'Did she just say…? No. I must be hearing things.'

As Koenma silently whimpered, Hinegeshi thought it would be wise to speak up. "Callie, I know how much you'd love to savor the sweet taste of revenge right now, but isn't locating Botan more important? I mean, if she didn't tell _you_ where she was going, then something must _seriously_ be wrong. Don't you agree?"

The caracal snorted and she brought her nose real close to the terrified toddler's face. "_You got lucky, kid._" Reluctantly, she released him from her death grip, took a few small steps back, and stood up on her back haunches, transforming into a small, human-like girl as she did so. "And just so you know, not that it's any of your business, the only reason she didn't tell me where she was going was so that _you_ guys couldn't kidnap me and let Hinegeshi rack my brain."

As she turned, she revealed a pair of narrowed brown eyes; short and spiky light brown hair; sharp, pointy canines; and caracal-like ears and tail left over from her previous form. She wore a semi-short, dark brown skirt with an uneven hem, and matching tank top that meshed well with her lightly tanned skin.

Scowling, she asked, "So who exactly are you guys, and what in Koenma's Dad's name could possibly make you wanna work for His reject-of-a-son?" She made a swift thumbing motion over in the toddler's direction. "Because I wouldn't work for him even if he paid me in golden catnip."

Yusuke smirked. "You know, you're a hell of a lot bigger and scarier as a cat. I mean, you're probably not much taller then our three eyed friend over here."

Callie gently placed one hand on her hip, using the other to flaunt the long, pointy claws she possessed. "Why don't you try saying that to my _face_, wise ass?"

The Kuwabara smirked as he boldly approached the angry woman. "Eh, ignore him. He's just bad with women." Ignoring the malicious look his friend was giving him, he continued. "I'm Kazuma Kuwabara. The rude guy is Yusuke Urameshi. The quiet one's Kurama, and the short one's Hiei."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Hn."

"_Kurama_…" Callie mused as she hopped down from atop Koenma's desk. "I used to know a Kurama." She eyed the red-haired fox curiously. "He was an asshole, though. You're not an asshole…are you?" She paused for a moment, seemingly awaiting an answer, but gave up waiting after a couple of seconds and answered her own question: "Nah. You don't seem like the type to harass women. Besides…" She grinned lightly. "You're a lot prettier than he was; at least I think so. Botan would probably disagree, but whatever. That's what makes the two of us so different: our taste in men."

Yusuke rolled his eyes, Kuwabara sniggered, and Hiei snorted. Koenma, on the other hand, looked as if he were about ready to blow another gasket. Fortunately, Hinegeshi had the sense to calm him before he had the chance to erupt.

Kurama tried to smile. He really did. But, for some reason, his mouth refused to upturn. It was as if his brain had shut down, malfunctioned, _died_. There was something unsettling about this situation. Something he couldn't seem to convince himself wasn't real. _Imagined_. Aloud, he managed to say: "You flatter me."

"Koenma sir! I finally found your remote! I'm terribly sorry that it took so long. I must have misplaced it, because it wasn't where I had left it last." He sauntered on over to where everyone was standing, smiling widely as he noticed the brown-haired feline standing prominently in the center. "Hello Callie. How are you doing today?"

She reluctantly tore her gaze from the fox to smile at the newcomer. "Fine, thank you. Though, I'm afraid I can't say the same for these two black-haired gentlemen. Especially _that_ one." She slowly shifted her cheerful, brown gaze over towards the scowling spiky-haired demon, her smile broadening. "You know, I heard somewhere that it takes so many more muscles to frown than it does to smile."

He scoffed. "It also takes a hell of a lot more energy to be annoying than it does to be quiet."

"Dude! She's a freaking cat demon! Even _I _can classify this situation as one where mouths are meant to be kept shut!" Kuwabara hissed, flinching.

The feminine feline titled her head off towards the side and slowly approached the seething apparition. "You know," she began, her smile fading, "I wasn't sure at first, but now that you've spoken, I think it's safe to assume…" She leaned in close to his face and scowled, pointing directly at the bridge of his nose with a clawed index finger: "That I _really_ don't like you."

Hiei remained unfazed. "Am I supposed to care? Because I don't."

Callie slowly leaned back and smiled. "I never asked whether or not you did." Stepping up alongside him, she continued: "Besides, declaring that I dislike you should be a clear indication that I don't give a shit what you think or say either." She then casually strolled past him, her tail swaying placidly behind her. "Oh, and Koenma?" She paused at the golden double doors, her smile curving into an amused smirk. "You can come out from underneath your desk now."

And with that she was gone.

There were a few moments of silence before Kuwabara exclaimed, "Meee_-yow_! She sure showed you, now didn't she shorty!"

Yusuke smirked. "I gotta agree with him on this one, man. Had that been a physical fight, you'd totally be on the floor cradling whatever was left of your manhood."

Hiei snarled as he turned to face the cackling boys. "And if you two don't shut it this very instant, than I may be tempted to completely _remove_ yours from your bodies."

Koenma took the boys' horrified silence to crawl out from underneath his desk, brush himself off, and snatch the remote from his servant's hands. "Boys," he began, ignoring any further conversing that had initiated. "If you would all be so kind as to direct your attention towards the screen on your left, I can finally begin my long-awaited presentation."

With a quick push of a button, the photo of a beautiful, blue haired woman with vivid, amethyst eyes appeared on the screen. In the snapshot, which was only of her upper half, she appeared to be in the midst of a rapid turn, for her long hair was airborne, swirling majestically around the lithe form of her body.

"This," Koenma began, "is Botan: a rare half-demon with extraordinary power." He paused for a moment to glance over his audience's mixed expressions. "And I need you to find her as soon as possible."

In a situation like this, the words 'holy shit' were an absolute understatement…

Because Kurama had _seriously_ forgotten how to breathe.

**ooOOOooo**

Well, there you have it. I hope you all, if not most, found this to be somewhat interesting. I have so many ideas for this story. The question is: will I ever find the time to write them all down? Knowing me…probably not.

I will explain what a Veela is in the next chapter, about Botan's past, why Kurama seems to have forgotten how to breathe, and what not. Yes, it _does_ get better, I assure you.

Anyway, feel free to review. They're always appreciated!


	2. Pointless Prattling

Thanks to those who reviewed. Always appreciate it.

And to answer the question posed by the person who was "too lazy to log in:" No. Yusuke and the gang **do not** know Botan (sorry if I didn't make that so clear). _Kurama_ on the other hand…well, you'll just have to read and find out. ;)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything that starts with a "Y". _Maybe_ a couple of DVDs, but other than that, I'm clean.

**oooOOOooo**

Chapter 2: **Pointless Prattling**

_Pain._

_Pure, excruciating pain._

_It was an abhorrent sensation; one that the powerful kitsune hadn't felt for almost an entire century. But that's what happens when you make foolish decisions. Initiate senseless fights._

_Fight fire with deadly, carnivorous plants rather than fire itself._

_He had to admit that he felt rather foolish, positioned there against that smoldering tree, surrounded by a stifling blaze that was slowly but surly asphyxiating him with each passing moment._ _But what could he have __**possibly**__ done to evade such a powerful attack? He hadn't seen it coming. Yes he, a 280-year-old thief, who was technically supposed to have flawless senses, intuition, and skill, screwed up. _

_Royally._

_And he couldn't help but mentally scream, over and over inside his throbbing head: what the hell had happened? Why was he frying underneath that tree, bleeding from grotesque, gaping wounds? Why the **hell** was he dying!_

_Because he just **had** to attempt an impossible theft—**steal** that rare, crimson jewel. He just **had** to awaken that vicious, fire-breathing deity from its blissful slumber._

_From now on, he'd just have to remember that colossal, stone statues are positioned outside of ancient, forbidden Temples for a reason._

_That is, if he **lived** to remember._

_Though as he felt himself slowly begin to succumb to an inevitable, fiery death, the silver-haired kitsune felt something strange: an abnormal, celestial aura, a cool, calming sensation._

_The fire…had it been extinguished?_ _The air…it did seem a lot cooler. _

_Cleaner._

_Breathable._

_But how?_ _What sort of unfathomable creature had the power to douse a blazing forest in only a few seconds? Hell, what would __**want**__ to! In a world full of fiends, it was every demon for itself. Plain and simple._

_His ears perked up to the sound of approaching footsteps, his nose twitching to the pleasant scent of…a human? No, not in Makai. Then what the hell was it?_

"_Are you…?"_

_A soft, silky voice._ _Who…?_

"_Oh, you poor thing…"_

_Using what little energy he had left, the wounded fox pried his blood-shot, golden eyes open, only to come face to face with vivid amethyst ones…_

**oooOOOooo**

"Kurama…_Kurama_! Are you _paying_ attention?"

The red-haired kitsune quickly rented himself from his thoughts, snapping his vivid, emerald gaze towards the command's origin. Before responding to the speaker's sharp, brown glare, he struggled to obscure any evident shock, melancholy, and bewilderment that may've remained upon on his face, replacing it with his usual, emotionless façade. "Yes Koenma."

The tiny prince carefully stroked his chin. "Yes, well you weren't three seconds ago. Hell, I'm not even sure if you were breathing!"

"Yeah man, you feelin' okay? I mean, ya look like you just saw a ghost or something," Yusuke queried, gently placing a hand atop his friend's shoulder.

Kurama flashed him a quick, reassuring smile, as phony and forced as it may have been. "I'm fine. Just a little tired." He then averted his gaze back towards the picture of the beautiful, blue-haired woman that was still plastered upon the screen. "Please proceed, Koenma. Forgive me if I interrupted."

Kuwabara poked his black-haired friend in the ribs, obviously oblivious to his ally's current distress. "Hey Urameshi. Why'd the kid bring us all the way here if he was just going to show us some cheap, PowerPoint presentation?"

Yusuke shrugged, hesitantly removing his fretful gaze from the seemingly troubled fox. "I dunno."

"Maybe if you two shut up, we can find out why," Hiei interrupted, shifting his seething, crimson gaze in their direction.

"AS I WAS SAYING!" Koenma boomed, cutting off any further conversing. "This is Botan: one of the few remaining hybrids in all of existence." He directed his remote towards the screen, pressing another button in the process. Within seconds, the picture on the monitor changed, portraying the stunning photo of a tall, demonic woman with long, blonde locks; a long, cream-colored tail that curled at the tip; pointy, elf-like ears; glowing, white eyes; and, originating from either of her shoulder blades was a large, feathery wing.

"And this," he continued, "is what's known as a Veela, Botan's demon half that she keeps safely secreted behind her human exterior. Alas, she has yet to access the true deity within her; I'm afraid her human essence makes that very difficult to do."

Yusuke opened his mouth to say something, but the agitated prince held up a hand. "Ah, ah, ah, I want you to wait until I'm _completely_ finished before you ask any questions, okay? Otherwise, I'll never get anywhere."

The spirit detective stood there for a moment, mouth slightly agape before letting out a long, frustrated sigh. He then gave a quick, majestic wave of his hand as if to say, "You may proceed."

Koenma rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you. As I was saying: this is a Veela. They tend to have an abnormally powerful ability to heal, even those that have already departed, and their tears have the potential to make it rain." He shot a quick, curious glance at the window before continuing. "Veela are also incredibly rare these days, which is probably due to the minor fact that they have no male counterparts, but, as interesting as that fact may be, it's kind of irrelevant to our—"

"Now hold up just a minute!" Yusuke interjected, raising a hand.

Koenma angrily chomped his pacifier. "I thought I said no questions until the end!"

"Woah, I think someone needs a nap," Kuwabara whispered to the tiny, red-haired woman that was standing beside him.

She subdued the urge to laugh and elbowed him in the ribs. "Quiet you!"

"Yusuke put your goddamn hand down!"

"But you're being so friggin' vague!"

"Because you won't shut up and let me finish!"

"Then maybe you should think before you reveal anymore supposed 'irrelevant' information to me!"

"For the love of…it wasn't _irrelevant_! It was just—"

"Can't I just ask _one_ stupid que—"

"_WHAT_!"

Yusuke grinned, satisfied with the fact that he had won. "Just how did these supposed 'demons' come into existence if they're an all female race?"

"What do you mean 'supposed' demons?"

"Well…I dunno. They just look a helluva lot like angels if ya ask me."

Koenma paused for a moment, clasping his arms behind his back as he turned to face the picture of the rare being behind him. "To be honest, we don't know how these peculiar goddesses came into existence. They were first sighted over three millennia ago, so even if we did possess such information, I wouldn't have the slightest clue as to where it was."

George sighed. "Would you like me to go make myself useful, my Lord?"

Koenma raised a suspicious brow. "Uh…yes, please. But search the library before you go raking though my perfectly organized files!"

"Of course, Koenma Sir! I would never—"

"Just go!"

"Y-yes, my Lord!"

After the ogre had gone, the young prince let out a long, dramatically enhanced sigh. "Stupid monkey…ah well, that should keep him busy for a while; 25 years to be precise." With a quick shake of his head, he continued his incomplete explanation: "Where was I—oh yes. You had mentioned that—"

"SHIT!" Kuwabara suddenly exclaimed, startling anyone who wasn't currently speaking. Ignoring Koenma's agitated expression and twitching brow, he continued after a short pause: "If those women were sighted over three thousand years ago, then that must mean that this girl's mom/dad is like…_really, really_ old."

"As stupid as that may have sounded, the guy's right," Yusuke denoted, directing his chocolate-hued gaze towards the floating toddler. "You claim that the race is rare, not extinct. That must mean that whoever's still alive would have to be thousands of years old, including this gal's demonic parent."

The black-haired apparition, who was currently leaning against a wall a few feet away, arms tightly crossed over his chest, slowly cracked open one of his crimson-hued eyes. "That's rather impressive…even for a demon."

Koenma's anger slowly diminished as he settled himself down into his chair. "True. Her mother was the demon, _obviously_, considering I just said it was an ALL FEMALE race." He shook his head and continued. "She lived to be almost 2000 years old. Her father was the human. Didn't make it past thirty."

Kurama inwardly snarled, but said nothing.

"Oh. My bad," Kuwabara replied with a frown.

"Wait, if the mom's dead, then that must mean she was killed by someone right? Because demons are supposed to be immortal. They don't die of old age," Yusuke inquired, raising a confused brow.

Koenma nodded gravely. "I'm afraid you are correct. She, as well as the human, were killed—no. Killed is a severe understatement. They were _murdered_, and it was by the same vengeful fiend too."

Hinegeshi frowned. 'I hate this part. It's a good thing Callie left.'

All four boys gazed intently at the slouching toddler, waiting for him to continue. It took him a few moments, but eventually, he began: "His name…is Karasu. He had been in love with Botan's mother—Kaminari was her name—for years, but she never…no, she _refused_ to reciprocate his insane infatuation. She did, however, fall in love with another man—a human none-the-less. This angered the rejected demon to the point of lunacy. First, he hunted down the man that had supposedly 'stolen' Kaminari's heart—we don't know what his name was—and cut off his head. Subsequently, since his only obstacle had been carefully disposed of, he spent every waking hour of his life secretly stalking her and the little girl she always kept close at her side, his pale, gray eyes burning with the utmost lust, hate, and fury. In the end, when Botan was about ten or eleven in human years, he came out of the murky shadows and kidnapped them both. For some reason, he left the girl unharmed, but he ruthlessly, abhorrently, _mercilessly_…" Koenma trailed off for a moment, his mouth growing dry. "He murdered her, slowly and painfully. Botan had managed to escape unscathed, but it was only due to her mother's preordained sacrifice." He slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but to callously slaughter such a rare, angelic, and beautiful deity is just…it's just…" The prince fell silent, as did the entire atmosphere around him. It was almost as if someone had pressed the mute button and destroyed the remote.

Hinegeshi, desperate to break the silence, decided it was time for her to take over, so she hopped back up onto the desk and continued her Lord's unfinished tale: "Botan, now forced to fend for herself, meandered the dense forests of Makai for, we think, about nine or ten years. I was the one who found her frail form, floating unconsciously between realms. I decided to read her mind to understand how and why she had gotten there—its not exactly common to find demons drifting helplessly along the skyline." She paused for a moment, breathing deeply. "And what I saw was…it was horrifying. The bloody, mutilated corpse of Kaminari, lying helplessly before Karasu's looming figure. Botan's small, frail form running impotently through an endless, cavernous maze, her eyes blinded by salty tears. The vicious thunder storm that had suddenly enveloped the cold, blackened sky…

"Her thoughts, as I quickly rummaged through them, appeared to be dark and gloomy for years…five, six? I don't know…well, that is, until a lone, silver-haired demon—a dog, or fox of sorts—entered the picture. I never really got to delve any deeper into that though, because she awoke suddenly, screaming."

Yusuke shot Kurama a furtive sideways glance, only to find his face blank, almost listless. 'I wonder…'

"We decided to take her in for her own protection. We didn't want to risk having Karasu find her, so I had her, with King Yama's permission of course, move up here, with me. Veela are so incredibly rare these days; I'd say that it's almost a privilege to even sense one. We want to try and preserve them for as long as we possibly can, but Botan…she's a rarity in and of herself. That's why we've made it our duty to safeguard her."

Kuwabara was the first to speak after another long moment of silence. "Woah. That was…deep."

"Eloquently put," Yusuke muttered as he massaged his temples with both hands.

"Yes, yes, it was very catastrophic indeed," Koenma carelessly denoted, his grief obviously forgotten. "But I think we all sort of went off on a very _large_ tangent. I was going to get to all that eventually, but…well, what was it you had said before I had been so rudely interrupted?" He shot the detective a curious, light brown glare as he floated up from his chair.

"Um, I dunno. That was like three hours ago," came his imprudent reply. "Like it actually matters anymore."

Koenma ignored him, evidently uninterested in what he had to say. "Oh yes, I remember now. You had said that the Veela looked a lot like a so-called 'angel'."

Yusuke sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but there are no such things. Believe it or not, it was the early people of Ningenkai that created the concept. The closest things we have to them are ferry girls, Hinegeshi excluded of course."

She sighed. "As much as I resent that fact, it's true. Unless you want to consider me to be the 'Angel of Death' or something."

Yusuke took in a deep breath and opened his mouth, but Koenma cut him off yet again with his hand. "Now I know what you're thinking: why the hell would I force you all to come up to Reikai, just so I could give you some insignificant history lesson on a woman you've never even met?"

"_Woah_. I was _seriously_ just thinking that!" Kuwabara exclaimed, staring at the little one in awe.

"Yeah, I'll second that," Yusuke added, a smug look plastered upon his face. "I mean, I recall you asking us to _find_ this woman, but never once did you mention that we were required to sit in on an exclusive lesson of Creepy Stalker 101."

Koenma sighed and pressed another button. This time, a video began to play. "I was getting there…"

"Hold up!" Kuwabara exclaimed, pointing towards the screen. "That's the place where Yusuke and I defeated Toguro! Hell, he's still lying there with his—oh my God…"

Horrified, the four boys watched as the shirtless man slowly arose from the ground, the sword beside him transforming into the sadistic form of his pale-skinned brother in the process. In the background, one the of the five, blank screens switched back on to reveal the scarred face of the man who had recently won the sixty-six trillion dollar bet against the hideous owner of the mansion. As the elder brother climbed atop his younger one's shoulder, Koenma's screen went blank, blinking senselessly a couple of times before reverting to the dancing salt and pepper screen of static.

Koenma turned back towards his shocked audience, his face pale and listless. "As you can see, the Toguro brothers are anything but dead. And, unbeknownst to Yukina's malicious captor, they had been in league with Sakyo, the man on re-activated the monitor, the entire time."

"We think that he might be in league with Karasu as well, but we can't be entirely sure. Botan, however, doesn't know about this possible affiliation. She sorta ran off before we could tell her." She directed an angry, golden glare towards the sheepish-looking prince. Turning back towards the boys, she continued: "This is why we need you to find her, guys. She could be in danger. And since Toguro's still alive, so could you."

Kuwabara snorted. "Yeah well, how hard could it possibly be to find a hot bird-woman with no eyes?"

Hiei cringed, almost as if he were in agony: "She's half human, you moron. She wouldn't _be_ in that form if she's roaming around your stupid world."

"Yeah, well…" Kuwabara began, but couldn't seem to construct a decent rebuttal, so he left it at that.

"And Veela _have_ eyes. It's just that their pupils and irises blend into their sclera." Hinegeshi corrected.

Kuwabara scratched his head and scrunched up his nose. "Their wha?"

Hinegeshi sighed. "The sclera is the 'white portion' of the eye."

Yusuke shrugged. "Whatever. As long as she's close by."

Koenma laughed nervously, lowering himself back down into his chair. "_Actually_," he began. "I…I don't know if she's on Ningenkai. She could be, well, anywhere. Due to the fact that she's a rare half-breed, an outcast if you will, we decided to give her free reign of all the worlds."

The spirit detective raised an aggravated brow, which, slowly but surly, began to violently twitch. "I'm sorry. Did I just hear you correctly? Because…heh, I could've sworn you'd said that the woman we're supposed to find could be _ANYWHERE_ IN THE WHOLE, _GODDAMN_ UNIVERSE!"

"Calm yourself Yusuke," Hinegeshi rejoined, using her oar to keep the incensed boy at least three feet away from the cowering prince. "You seem to forget: Hiei and Kurama are demons. I'm a ferry girl. We've got all the other worlds covered. All you and Kuwabara have to worry about is Ningenkai."

"No, I'm afraid that _you_ seem to forget," Yusuke viciously retorted, directing a fiery brown glare her way, "that the living world consists of seven continents, 4 or so oceans, and a _hell_uva lotta countries and states! Where the _fuck_ would we start our damn search! We'd need at least twenty-five million people to cover that kind of ground!"

"Actually," Hinegeshi coolly interjected, "if she'd be anywhere on earth, I think it'd Japan. She's got an apartment somewhere in one of the less-populated areas of Tokyo, I forget where exactly, but that would make the city a familiar base and a means in which to ground herself in such a vast, disconcerting world."

Yusuke turned back towards Koemna. "S'this true?"

He nodded. "Yes, it is. And besides, I highly doubt that she's returned to Makai. There's always a slight chance, but the girl only crosses over there once in a blue moon, so—"

"Then why the hell did you—" Yusuke began, but stopped short as he felt a hand tightly clamp his shoulder; it belonged to silent and languid kitsune.

"What's done is done, Yusuke," he began, his voice calm and cool. "Instead of wasting time arguing over pointless matters, I suggest we begin our long-awaited search."

The spirit detective smirked, his anger diminishing. "Why, hello there. For a moment there I thought you'd gone mute."

Kurama reciprocated his friend's amused expression. "On the contrary. I figured you would ask all of the necessary questions, so my intervention would've merely been redundant."

The black-haired detective laughed. "I'm sure. But I gotta agree with you, guy. The sooner we start the search, the sooner we finish!"

"Wait a minute!" Kuwabara suddenly exclaimed, pointing to the large, golden monitor. "Can't we just locate her with this thing? I mean, Koenma is a God after all! Doesn't that mean he's got the power to see, like, _everything_?"

Yusuke stared at his goofy friend for a moment, before reaching over and slapping him on the back, grinning from ear to ear. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're a friggin' _genius_!"

"I know, I know," came his egotistical reply. "Tell me something I don't."

Turning towards Koenma, the spirit detective clapped his hands. "Well, come on then! I know you've watched me struggle throughout all my other stupid missions on this thing. Why don't you use it to pinpoint the damn girl?" When the Prince didn't respond right away, he added: "As an added bonus, I promise not to hold any would-be grudges against you for hauling my ass up here for no reason."

Koenma smiled sheepishly. "Heh, heh. About that…"

Yusuke's face fell. "Aw _shit_. A catch…there's a catch, isn't here?"

Koenma shamefully shook his head, innocently twiddling his thumbs as he struggled to avoid the irate boy's fixated glare. "Well, no…no, not exactly…"

Hinegeshi sighed, bringing a hand to her forehead. "Well, you can figure that we wouldn't have required your assistance had he been permitted to utilize the damn thing for that very purpose." She shot the Prince a tired glare. "His father forbids him to use it to spy on people, demons, spirits—especially those of the feminine nature." Ignoring her Lord's irate expression and heeding to the confused ones of the detectives, she added: "Let's just say that once he was caught watching something he shouldn't have…"

"First of all, I resent that!" the adolescent Lord viciously retorted, glaring daggers at the annoyed ferry girl. "Second of all, I was merely ensuring that she wasn't off gallivanting with some shady pretty-boy-demon—or—something. I mean, since when is overprotectedness a crime?"

Yusuke sighed, carelessly tuning out the toddler's incessant ramblings. "Kay. _Not_ gonna ask."

Kuwabara shrugged. "Well at least we've got Hiei's creepy extra eye."

The fire demon snorted. "That's what you think."

As the four slowly exited the seething Prince's office, Yusuke furtively shifted his gaze in the fox's direction. His expression revealed nothing, but, for some reason, the detective had a strange feeling that something was off. What it was, he didn't know; but he sure as hell planned to find out.

"Oh man, I just can't get over the fact that shorty over here got his scrawny, little ass verbally kicked by a dinky cat-chick!" Kuwabara suddenly exclaimed, grinning like mad.

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you weren't so dumb, I'd be more conscious of the disgusting word-vomit that always spilling fourth from your over-sized mouth."

Kuwabara scrunched up his nose and snarled. "_Hey_! I'm not dumb! Perhaps a bit on the mentally challenged side, but not so much that one could qualify me as being _stupid_." He paused, huffily crossing his arms. "And you can quit givin' me that friggin' look, Urameshi. Miss Nakamura doesn't lie."

"Please. That woman's word is as valid as a dog's."

"Eh, you're just jealous that she likes me and despises you."

"Right. Like I actually care what a weird, 25-year-old social worker thinks of me."

"A _hot_ social worker, Urameshi. A very hot one."

Hiei inwardly seethed, but outwardly exclaimed: "Would you two shut up! Your mindless rambling is clogging my brain."

With an impatient flick of his wrist, Koenma's enormous office doors creaked shut with an echoing thud, suppressing any further arguments that may have commenced outside the room. "Oh Hinegeshi," he whispered, voice hoarse from screaming. "Is there something you wish to say to me now that the others have left? Perhaps an 'I'm sorry' or a 'Please forgive me, my Lord. I am not worthy of your awesome mercifulness!'"

"You know, I _have _been wondering…" she began, slowly turning around to face the furious Mini-Lord. "Don't you think it's kinda weird that they didn't ask what Toguro's sadistic intentions might've been?"

Koenma grunted, clawing relentlessly at the smooth surface of his desk like a rabid panther. "I don't know, nor do I care. Now…_enlighten_ me." He paused to inhale. "What in my FATHER'S NAME could have POSSIBLY possessed you to reveal such CONFIDENTIAL information to the likes of those adolescent DUMB-FUCKS? And, more importantly, in such a CRUDE manner? I mean, you made me sound like a pathetic, peeping tom! The scum on the bottom of one's shoe! The lowest of the low—a member of _Z_ class! (gasp) Yes! You created a WHOLE NEW class for me! Do you have any IDEA how humiliating that is? How demeaning Debasing? _Demoralizing! _Do you, you stupid, brainless _death_ mongrel? DO YOU!"

The redhead openly ignored the toddler's pointless prattling, sighing as she thought aloud: "Oh well. I guess they'll find out sooner or later…"

**oooOOOooo**

Let's see.

The people sucked. The air sucked. The food definitely sucked. The weather sucked. Life in general sucked, and, most of all, THIS sucked.

Yeah. That pretty much summed up the blue-haired woman's bleak thoughts as she morosely trudged down the gloomy streets of downtown Tokyo. Her black, hooded sweatshirt obviously wasn't enough to obscure the fact that she looked weird, dissimilar, and abnormal, so one could only imagine the sort of looks she was getting. Half were perverted, and half were just mean. Rude. Insincere.

Really makes you feel welcome to know that people aren't afraid to hide their nasty opinions of you. It didn't matter which society she tried to blend into; neither accepted her. They always viewed her as the insignificant other, the strange outsider, the unwanted _thing_.

Oh, did she fail to mention that Earth sucked too? Because it did. A lot. Its inhabitants were so disgustingly corrupt. To think that she wouldn't even be there if it hadn't been for the Prince-of-all-that-is-hentai.

And yet, at the same time, this miserable world was, by far, her favorite of the three—but only because of her apartment. You wouldn't come across too many of those in Makai; perhaps a couple of creepy mansions, but other than that, you were pretty much out of luck.

She let out a long, exhausted sigh, watching as her breath sailed away with the chilled wind. Some weather they were having. Winter wasn't for what: two, three months? Everything seemed to be so incredibly inpatient those days.

Shoving her icy hands into her warm, fuzzy pockets, she diverted her sullen, purple-hued eyes towards the wet ground, watching as the light rain splashed silently against the darkened sidewalk, soaking the dragging flares of her light-fitting blue jeans. She preferred to keep her head down, watching the world pass her in pairs of muddy shoes and abandoned litter. Anything was more pleasant-looking then their intimidating, spiteful, and lustrous gazes, because in a way, they reminded her of his…

That devil's narrowed, pale-gray glare, with just a hint of crimson…

And fire.

It is said that the eyes are the doors to one's soul; a reflection of what they hold deep within their heart. Karasu didn't have a heart; just a big, black, vacuous hole—a bottomless abyss—that was slowly but surly devouring him with each passing moment. One day, it would inevitably consume him, but until then, he would continue to hunt her, his eyes harboring the deepest, darkest depths of Hell itself.

The powerful emotions that motivated him, whatever they may've been, would continue to grow in intensity, only diminishing after he succumbed to death's inescapable grasp, or she did by his volatile hands. Either way, his essence would continue to haunt her; just like it was now in each and every person's eyes…

The entranced girl was quickly rented from her despondent thoughts as she heard a loud, mournful howl erupt from below.

Uh-oh. She didn't step on her again, did she?

"_BOTAN!_ _You stupid butt-head! You stepped on me again!"_

Oops.

Botan slowly lifted her forward-most foot, shifting her drooping, amethyst gaze towards the ground. There, wet, puffy, and slightly shivering, sat a small, calico cat, gazing up at her with the most adorable yellow-brown eyes.

She slowly raised a thin, blue brow. "How did you find me?"

The colorful kitty quickly shook out her fur. "_Puh-lease."_ She furiously licked an annoying itch in her side before shooting the tall, demonic woman a strange look. "_What do you take me for, a dog? I ALWAYS know where you are. I just didn't want to make that apparent to the redhead. Her and her stupid ESP…"_

Botan let out an annoyed grunt as she threw her head back towards the sky, blinking rapidly as invisible droplets of rain entered her eyes. "Heh, would you look at that, Callie? The sky is raining all by itself today." She slowly lowered her head, frowning as she watched her feline friend continue to bathe herself. "This sort of thing should make me happy, but it doesn't. I just feel miserable, all over, all the time. Look at me, Callie. I look miserable, don't I?"

The calico paused in mid-cleaning, mirroring her companion's sorrowful expression. "_Yes. You do. But I'm afraid that you're going to have to put your feelings aside for a moment, because I have something important to tell you."_

The crestfallen deity moaned, carelessly stepping over the tiny creature that blocked her path before continuing on her way. "Then don't tell me. I don't wanna know."

Callie quickly finished her cleaning before bolting off after the run-away girl. "_Botan!_ _Now wait just a damn minute!_ _Can you at least pick me up so I don't have to worry about stepping into puddles?"_

"I don't feel like bending over," came her monotonous response.

"_BOTAN!" _the kitty screeched, pausing in mid-run to shake out her fur again. "_STOP! I'm serious!"_

"So am I."

"_You're such a stupid liar! Just…would you PLEASE stop running away from me so I can tell you what Koenma—"_

"Callie!" the blue-hair woman cried, spinning around on her heels. She glared down at the cat with menacing, amethyst eyes, earning a couple of strange glances from a handful of random passer-bys. "I don't care what you, Koenma, or anybody else has to say. I _just_ want to be left the alone. What is so hard to understand?"

Callie mirrored her glare, hissing as she retorted: "_Everything! Know why? Cuz Koenma has finally decided to get serious!"_

Botan scrunched up her nose and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The calico breathed deeply, relieved that she had finally grasped the deity's attention. "_He's dispatched a mini search-party for you—and they're not just any-odd bunch. It's his newest spirit detective—who, might I add, is a total moron— and a couple of his demonic friends."_

Botan slowly relaxed her contorted features, raising a brow in the process. "He's sent a spirit detective after me?"

Callie nodded, spontaneously lashing out at a passing spectator's ankles. "_Hey, hey, MOVE along, bub! There's nothing more for you to see here! (_sigh_) I SWEAR…if only those pathetic excuses for humans could HEAR ME! I'd just LOVE to give them a piece of my mind!"_

The girl ignored her cat's sudden outburst, lifting her gaze back towards the sky. "What, am I some sort of fugitive now?"

"_I…don't…KNOW!" _came her distracted response in the midst of a series of startled gasps and sqeals. "_Could be the case."_

Botan let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Callie, quit attacking people's feet and get over here." Without looking down, she pointed to a small patch of empty sidewalk in front of her toes, and, within seconds, it became occupied by her frustrated, little friend. "Come here." She reached down, picked her up, and shoved her into the large, pouch-like pocket in the front of her sweatshirt. "We're splittin' this joint."

"_Fine with me!_ _These people suck, anyway…OH WAIT!"_

Botan shot her a quick, suspicious glance. "What? …You don't have another hairball, do you?"

Callie snorted. "_No, you twit! I just remembered something! One of the boys, the biggest most PRETENTIOUS moron of them all, had a hidden, Jagan eye."_

"Hmm. And just _how_, may I ask, did you figure this out if it was hidden?"

The miniature feline grunted "_How many times MUST I have to tell you?"_

"Obviously not enough."

Callie ignored her companion's sarcastic comment and continued: "_One, I'm a brilliant, flawless, and superior feline specimen whose nose can detect the utterly imperceptible, and, as for two…stupid men are CARELESS. All I really had to do was give myself the perfect excuse to approach him and double check."_

"And what sort of excuse was that?"

"_Eh, nothing._ _I merely, as his friends had so eloquently put it, 'verbally kicked his ass.'"_

"I see." Pause. "He was cute, wasn't he?"

"(sigh) _Yeah, but…I think his red-haired accomplice was prettier._"

Botan smirked. "Well then. Looks like we'll just have to be extra careful, now won't we?"

Callie sniffed as she struggled to make herself comfortable. "_Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Now whatever you do, DON'T drop me again. You know how much I despise the rain."_

**oooOOOooo**

**Just a quick note**: _Kaminari _is the Japanese Goddess of thunder, a.k.a. "Thunder Queen" and "Heavenly Noise." I have no idea how you pronounce it, but…I chose the name for a reason. ;)

Anyway, feel free to review. Always appreciate it. And **BB**, please don't faint. You make me nervous when you do that. (O.o)


	3. Feisty Little Fiend

Thanks to those who reviewed. Here is chapter three…

**Disclaimer: **Je ne possède pas Yu Yu Hakusho, mais merci de demander. :)

**oooOOOooo**

Chapter 3: **Feisty Little Fiend**

_A small cry escaped her as she jumped back in surprise, her heart stalling for a brief moment before slamming into her chest. His eyes. They just…**opened**. And…Kami, they were the most breathtaking, golden-hue, yet…the horrible, seething passion they reflected was unsettling._

_Spite, horror, angst, fury…_

_Sweat poured profusely from his furrowing, silver brow as his breath evaded his bloodstained lips in slow, hoarse rasps. She slowly let her eyes descend his crippled body to the massive, bloody tear that stretched all the way across his abdomen. Instinctively, her hand flew to her mouth. The only thing he had to keep his innards from escaping his shaking frame was his own hand._

_Wait a minute. He was opening his mouth. Maybe to speak? Gasp for more air? Her eyes widened as he coughed and gagged instead, spurting up fresh blood in the process._

"_Poor fool," she heard herself mumble. He was in quite the predicament, wasn't he?_

_Taking in a deep breath, she pushed aside her fear and slowly knelt down in front of him._

_His eyes dangerously narrowed. It was obvious that he wanted her to go away, but…she couldn't just leave him there, could she? No. That would be something a heartless, soulless, and immoral demonic fiend would do; and there were just **way** too many of those running around there._

"_It's okay," she whispered, gently brushing a couple of thin, silver strands out of his eyes with her soft, pale fingers. "I'm going to help you."_

_He obviously didn't like that answer._

_Her eyes widened in horror as his hand shot out, roughly grabbed a fistful of her long, white garbs, and pulled her face close to his. His snarl was malicious, his face was contorted, and his eyes—they were on fire. But why was he doing this? She only wanted to help him!_

"_Please!" she managed to gasp after a few moments of painful silence. "I don't want to…I mean no harm!"_

_He didn't budge. His claws, however, sunk deeper into her flesh, slicing through her skin like butter. Her lips slowly parted in a silent scream as the pain pierced her body like a thousand, poisonous needles. "Stop! You're **hurting** me!"_

_She might have been mistaken, but for a quick, almost imperceptible moment, his eyes changed, reflecting something more along the lines of…_

_Disgust?_ _Shame?_

_Grunting, he threw her backwards and coughed, struggling to swallow excess blood that was beginning to flow into his mouth and seep through his lips and teeth._

_She sat there, enveloped in a silky pool of blue and white, desperately clutching her burning chest. Had he intended to kill her? But why? Were his wounds psychologically as well? Or maybe he could sense the other essence that shared her soul…_

_The **human** one._

_Her eyes grew watery as she muffled a soft sob and stumbled to her feet. "My only wish is to help, not harm." She paused, briefly scanning his emotionless façade for some sort of response, plea, or apology, but…his expression remained the same: dark, foreboding, and nasty. Tears began to flow from her sparkling, amethyst eyes as she allowed her long, feathery wings to emerge from beneath her pallid skin, the cloudy, gray sky mirroring her anticipated grief with tears of its own. "You stupid fool— I can **heal** you! Do you not understand? **Heal!**"_

_Why did she care so much? She didn't even know this man. What was it about this situation that made her so…frustrated?_

'_Because,' a sinister voice retorted, deep within the confines of her throbbing mind. 'Because it reminds you of __**her**__. Her bloody corpse. Her soiled garbs. Her pain-stricken expression. Her plea for you to run. The fact that you __**did**__ run. Yes. You ran. You ran like a fruitless, spineless, __**frivolous **__coward!'_

"_No," she whimpered aloud, bringing her trembling hands to her head. "__**No**__…"_

'_Yes!' the voice continued. And…Kami, it sounded __**so**__ much like his. Like that satanic, raven-haired fiend's! 'Face it, you foolish girl! You…let…her…__**die**__! She is __**dead**__ because of you! Because. Of. __**You**__!'_

"_Shut up. Just __**shut**__**up**__!" Her cries must have reached the outskirts of the forest, for sinister, demonic birds suddenly enveloped the sky, painting it black as they echoed her screams._

_That voice. It was the voice of her inner hostilities, doubts, denials, and fears. It was the voice of a war that had been waging on inside her head for so many years—so many **countless** years! And instead of slowly terminating as that **fateful** day drew further and further away, the battle was rapidly intensifying, firing relentlessly at her heart and soul._

"_Please stop…"_

_That voice…the war…if she didn't act now, she was bound to experience some sort of volatile, mental breakdown and destroy herself. What would Kaminari think of her then? Committing suicide just because she was unable to cope with the fact that her mother's incredibly long life had abruptly ended in murder…_

"_Then I must end it," she silently whispered, her features relaxing. "I must end it __**now**__. That voice…it will be no more."_

_Angry with the fox, that murderer, but most passionately with herself, the blue-haired woman slowly stretched out her arm, pointing it directly at the bridge of the fox's nose. She ignored his shocked, baffled and awestruck expression, the hot, scalding rain as it remorselessly pelted every inch of her aching body. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and fired an invisible strand of luminescent energy from the very tip of her index finger._

_So he thought she was crazy. What else was new?_

"_Say goodnight," she silently mouthed. Before the kitsune could register what had happened, his golden eyes drooped, his jaw relaxed, and his upper body slowly slid to the ground. "You stupid, beautiful fool."_

**oooOOOooo**

"_Botan?_ _Botan, what the HELL are you waiting for? Botan?…__**BOTAN!**__"_

The blue-haired deity gasped as she came crashing back into reality. She was currently standing at the corner of a busy intersection, waiting to cross. How long had she been daydreaming? What was it she was even dreaming about? This had been happening a lot lately: short, painful blackouts that made her eyes burn and her head pound.

"_Botan!_ _Oh for the love of—WAKE up and cross the damn street! Or have you already forgotten that we're being tailed by Koenma's little spirit squad?"_

"Callie."

"_What?"_

"Go away."

"…_Wha? What the hell is that supposed to—ack! BOTAN! WHY THE FREAKING HELL DID YOU DROP ME?"_ The small calico watched in horror as her life-long companion contentedly shoved her hands into the warm pocket she had once occupied, and hurried across the street…_without_ her. Bounding after her sulking form, she roared, "_YOU HEARTLESS WOMAN! I DEMAND YOU PICK ME UP, THIS INSTANT! I SWEAR, THIS IS ANIMAL CRUELTY IN ITS MOST ADVANCED FORM! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME? Dammit…BOTAN! THE GROUND IS STILL WET!"_

**oooOOOooo**

"Well…now that Hiei's gone missing and we've _finally _ditched Kuwabara, what do ya say we get crackin'?"

Kurama slowly shifted his eyes in the spirit detective's direction, raising an amused brow in the process. "_Cracking,' _you say?"

Yusuke laughed as he and the red-haired fox slowly made their way down the dampened sidewalk located somewhere within the midst of downtown Tokyo. "Yeah, you know, as in 'let's get goin'?' Or in this specific case, 'let's start searchin'.'' I mean, the faster we get this over with, the faster I get to go home and veg-out in front of the tube."

"Ah. I see."

The spirit-detective grinned as he threw his arms behind his head and lowered his lids. "So tell me. Do you _know _this girl?"

Seemingly unfazed, Kurama replied, "No. I don't know her."

Struggling to suppress his surprise, the spirit detective cracked open one eye and half-laughed, half-cried: "Wha? Are you _sure_? Cause I was under the impression that you—"

"I love her."

Yusuke stopped dead in his tracks as his red-haired friend slowly walked on ahead, his clasped arms slowly slipping until they fell slack at his sides. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before finally managing to verbalize a few of his befuddled thoughts: "_So_…I'm guessing that means you know her then…right?"

Kurama ceased his walk a few feet ahead. "Yes. I do."

"So why didn't you tell me about her then?"

"I did."

"You _did_?" Yusuke scratched his head in confusion. "Uh…when was this?"

Kurama turned towards his bewildered friend, his emerald eyes dark and cold like the sky. "Do you remember the first time I spoke to you…on the roof-top of the hospital that housed my dying mother?"

"Yeah…"

"I had briefly mentioned that I intended to return to Makai after I had finished recuperating here, in Ningenkai, because I needed to search for someone…someone that I had unintentionally left behind, did I not?"

Yusuke racked his brain for a moment, bringing a finger to his forehead. "Yeah…yeah, I think I remember. Cause then you said that you _would _have left five or six years ago, had your mom not fallen ill."

Kurama nodded. "That is correct." He paused for a moment, his forehead scrunching up in what appeared to be anger…with _himself_. "You know, even though I know the truth behind my painstakingly difficult decisions, I still feel as if I had willingly chosen to abandon her." He looked away after he finished, concealing his troubled eyes behind their lids.

Yusuke frowned as he followed the lead of his friend who had started to walk again. "Maybe I've misunderstood something, but…shouldn't the fact that we're about to find this broad make you somewhat, oh, I dunno…_happy_?"

"It only seems logical, doesn't it?" came his soft reply.

"Well yeah. I mean you said yourself that you loved her, so…why do you still seem to be so troubled by all of this?"

"Because," Kurama began, letting out a long, tired sigh. "Botan knew me as Youko Kurama. She never knew me as Shuichi Minamino."

Yusuke snorted. "So? When we find her, you can _tell _her! It's not like you gotta keep it a secret!"

"Really? Who's to say that she'll believe me?" the kitsune half-retorted, refusing to face the boy that strolled next to him. "Who's to say that she'll remember me?"

"Kurama, I don't under—"

"It's been over fifteen years since I left her, and I did it without saying so much as a goodbye." He lowered his face towards the ground, obscuring his handsome features behind his long, red mane. "Who's to say that she's forgiven me?"

The only reply that followed the fox's despondent words was the sound of the light rain as it came in contact with the cold, wet ground, their footsteps as they splashed through unavoidable, shallow puddles, and their soft breathing as it escaped their mouths in visible, white puffs of air…

Silence.

**oooOOOooo**

Hiei was not happy; not happy at all. In fact, he was _so_ unhappy that he was pissed. _Royally_ pissed. Then again, he had every right to be, didn't he? After all, anyone who had undergone the agonizing process required to insert a mystic eye into their heads had every right to expect it to work properly and efficiently; not lead them in goddamn, mother-fucking circles like a brainless dog on a leash.

"Stupid…why the hell am I doing this again?" he seethed aloud as he soundlessly and sightlessly leapt from tree-top to tree-top. "Ah yes, _I_ remember now: because Koenma is a complete and utter _dumbass_. That's why."

He ceased his quick, imperceptible bounding as he landed atop a thick branch that sat amidst the dense foliage of a tall Red Maple. It appeared that his Jagan eye had led him to a large, open, park-like area that sat directly across from a busy intersection. Strange thing was that it was the _exact_ same park and intersection that his eye had insisted he visit four times before…

'What the hell! Is she _evading_ my eye? No…that's just not possible, because A) my Jagan eye is never wrong, and B) she isn't even aware that I exist. Unless…' His angry thoughts came to an abrupt halt as a harsh realization distressingly dawned upon him 'Why that little _**bitch! **_She must have known the girl's location all along…_which_ _explains _her unanticipated visit to Reikai. She must have wanted to know what Koenma was up to, and once found out, she left to go inform her missing friend." He growled viciously under his breath, his pitch-black aura livid with spite and fury. 'I swear, if I _ever _see that damn cat again, I'll skin her alive.'

He was about to teleport away when a familiar voice reached his ears. It was soft, indicating that its owner must have been at least a couple blocks away, but it was also _telepathic_, so he was able to figure out whom it belonged to without giving it much thought.

A sadistic smirk crossed his lips as he unsheathed his sword. "Heh. Looks like the little bitch found _me_. I'll have to remember to thank her…_after_ I finish skinning her, of course."

And just as quickly as he arrived, the black-haired apparition was gone.

**oooOOOooo**

"_Aw, come ON, Botan! Say something already, will ya?"_

"Something."

Callie stopped in mid-walk, a front and back foot poised immobile in mid-air. Then, as if she had suddenly received a massive kick to her behind, she bolted forward, puffed out her fur, and took a nasty swing at the one of the girl's legs. "_**NO! **__NO, NO, NO, NO, __**NO**__! That is NOT what I meant! And I KNOW that you know that that is not what I meant! So quit playing games with me and SNAP THE FRICKEN HELL OUT OF—"_

"Callie."

The kitty quickly ceased her ranting and stared up at morose girl with wide, circular eyes. "_Yes, m'darlin'?"_

Botan shifted her narrowed, amethyst gaze in her companion's direction, continuing to walk as if nothing had happened. "Tone it down a bit will ya? They'll hear you."

Callie let out a vicious howl before retorting, "_What the HELL! Are you SERIOUS? I'M SPEAKING TO YOU __**TELEPATHICALLY**__, YOU STUPID DUMB—"_

"I wasn't referring to _them," _the blue-haired girl snapped, pointing to a couple of oblivious bystanders. "I was referring to Koenma's little search party."

Embarrassed by the fact that she had been one word away from calling her loveable Mistress an 'ass,' the calico softly replied "_Oh._ _Yeah. Sorry. I…I kinda forgot about them."_

Botan rolled her eyes. "I know. Which is precisely why I reminded you." They walked on in silence for a couple of moments before she added, "Can you feel them?"

The tiny calico paused in mid-walk for a moment to shake out her fur. "_Yes. And it's quite unnerving, if ya ask me."_ She shivered. "_Hey, now that we're on speaking terms again, do you think you could pick me up?"_

As they rounded a bend in the road that led to a more quiet and desolate section of the darkening city, the purple-eyed demoness smirked. "No."

Callie gasped, her mouth falling agape to reveal several, shark-like teeth. "_Wha?_ _But why?"_

"I don't feel like it."

"_But…but I can make myself REALLY really small! Yeah! You won't even be able to tell that I'm there! …Please?"_

"No."

"_Pretty please?"_

"Uh-uh."

"_Erm…pretty please with sugar on top?"_

"No."

"_How about with whipped cream?"_

"That's like eating gelatin in foam form."

"_Okay, forget the whipped cream. How about chocolate chips?"_

"I prefer vanilla."

"_You do?"_

"Yes."

"'_Yes', as in you'll pick me up?"_

"How about '_no_,' as in '_forget_ it?'"

"_What if I make it vanilla chips?"_

"No."

"_What the—who doesn't like vanilla chips?"_

"Callie?"

"_Yeah_?"

"Shut up."

"_Why you little…_(mumbles something inaudible). _Okay. What if I were to put a cherry on top?"_

"Cherries have pits. Pits are gross."

"_Aw, come __**ON**__ Botan!"_

"Hey. What'd I say about that mouth of yours?"

"_Erm…oh!_ _If you pick me up, I promise that I'll keep my abnormally-large-mouth shut for the rest of the day! …Or night. I can't exactly tell which it is anymore."_

"No."

"..._Wha? Are you KIDDING me? How much longer am I going to have to beg before you finally give in?"_

"I dunno. A while."

_"What the…! Do you realize just how UTTERLY ridiculous you are being right now? I mean, how hard could it possibly be to pick me up off the ground? I'm a two-pound kitten for Kami's sake!"_

"Forgive me. I think I'm coming down with a serious case of lethargy."

Callie growled, but didn't respond.

Botan's smirk returned. "What, no snappy comeback?"

Silence.

"Well fine then. It's about time you shut up any—"

The deity was cut off as an unnatural burst of air and energy whizzed past her face, knocking her hood straight off her head.

It appeared that the two of them were no longer alone…

"Sorry to cut your little conversation short, but I have more important things to do then listen to the two of you ramble on about nothing in particular."

Botan stiffened, but did not turn around. "Callie…come here."

The unseen character laughed. "Heh. I'm afraid that she's a little…_preoccupied_ at the moment. But you wouldn't know that, would you? Not unless you have eyes in the back of your head."

Callie let out a vicious howl. "_You GODDAMN son of a fucking __**BITCH**__! GET THE __**HELL **__OFFA ME, BEFORE I—eep!"_

"I'd keep your pathetic mouth shut if I were you, wench. You're in no position to order me around."

Tightening her fists, the blue haired deity quickly spun around, causing her long, silky mane to swish around her head and body. Her eyes widened in disgust at the sight that lay before her: there was a strange, male apparition, decked in black, towering over her feline friend; and he had the tip of a long, sharp sword directed at the very center of her furry neck. She bit her tongue as Callie flashed a desperate look. "Get the _hell _away from her."

The man smirked. "Not until you agree to return to Reikai."

Botan narrowed her darkening, amethyst eyes. "I knew that Koenma had sent a spirit detective after me, but I wasn't aware that he had resorted to hiring vicious assassins as backup. He must have been pretty damn desperate." She glanced down at Callie who was currently cowering under her captor's blade, wheezing as his foot pressed her harder into the pavement. "_Hiei_…was it?"

The black haired apparition snarled. "What do you take me for? A Fool? I know that she's telepathically feeding you information _as_ we _speak_, so you can cut the psychological crap. It won't work on me."

Botan scoffed. "What the hell are you talking about? She told me about you boys earlier. Do you have no grasp of time?" She shook her head. "Now…would you mind releasing her?" A vicious snarl spread across her lips as she gingerly cracked each of the knuckles on her right hand. "You're starting to suffocate her."

Hiei slowly shook his head in sarcastic dismay. "I'm afraid that I can't do that. You have yet to make a decision."

"Regarding the current situation?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Are you _mocking _me?"

Botan smirked. "Actually, I was just about to refuse to comply with your demands."

Callie squeaked in terror as the blade pressed deeper into her skin. "_Bo…tan?"_

"Now release her before I—(yawn)—get really pissed. Excuse me. I haven't had much sleep this week."

Hiei's mouth fell agape. "Why you imprudent, little…you _are _mocking me, aren't you? Just because I appear to be less of a _challenge_ than most other demons you've encountered." His shocked expression grew sadistic. "It's a shame you underestimate me." He lowered his crimson gaze towards the shivering feline that sat helpless beneath him. "Because I'm _really_ going to enjoy skinning this bitchy, little—_**oof!**_"

The speedy apparition gasped in horror as a foot materialized out of nowhere and relentlessly slammed into the side of his face. Winded, he flew a couple of feet off to the side and crashed hard into the empty street, cracking the concrete.

Callie coughed and gasped as she rolled over onto her side, changing into her human form in the process. "Ug..."

Botan rushed to her side. "Are you okay?" She cursed bitterly underneath her breath. "He cut you."

The feminine feline forced a weak smile. "Eh, it's nothing that I can't…oh. Thank you."

The blue-haired deity flashed the girl a quick, reassuring smile as she removed her glowing head from her neck. "You're welcome. Now hurry up and get _really_, really small. We gotta move quickly. Backup is bound to arrive at any moment…"

Callie snorted. "Oh, so _now_ you're willing to carry me…tch. Figures." She shrunk down into a tiny, black-haired kitten no larger than a fist. "_How's this?"_

"Good, now get in." She motioned to the large, gray pocket in the front of her sweatshirt. As Callie climbed in, she added, "And that guy was _so_ not attractive."

Callie grunted, although since she was so small, it sounded more like a squeak. _"CORRECTION: he WAS appealing, but after THAT little incident, his level of attractiveness has been reduced to that of ZERO."_

Ignoring her silly comment, Botan stood up from the ground and brushed herself off, gently patting the pocket to ensure her friend was tucked in securely. "Now hold on. Things are bound to get rough."

"_Er…maybe I shouldn't have made myself quite so young. My claws are exactly fully develooOOOO__**AAAAAAGH**__! DON'T LEAP SO HIGH! DON'T LEAP SO GODDAMN __**HIGH**__!"_

The blue-haired deity grinned, wordlessly watching Hiei's motionless body grow smaller and smaller as they flew higher and higher into the air, and out of sight.

**oooOOOooo**

"Did you feel that?"

"I did."

"Where the _hell _did it come from?"

"I believe a few miles back; in the more deserted section of the city."

Yusuke spun around and threw his head in either direction. "Do you think it was her?"

Kurama didn't reply right away. Instead, he closed his eyes, slowly slid his hands into his pockets, and lowered his head, concentrating hard on the sudden burst of energy that had filled the air. While he knew that some of it had belonged to Hiei, the other half of it was utterly foreign to him. "I'm…I'm not sure."

"Well if it was her," Yusuke began, squinting his light-brown eyes as he stared off into the distance, "then I'd like to know what caused her to power up like that. Unless…shit, do you think Hiei found her?"

The kitsune snapped his emerald eyes open. "So you sensed Hiei as well?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah. I did. And I'm worried about it to. The guy doesn't exactly tend to handle things in the most gentlemanly sort of way…_if _you know what I mean."

"I do. Which is why I suggest we hurry—"

"_THERE _YOU ARE! I was starting to think you were avoiding me or something because I couldn't find you!"

Kurama and Yusuke exchanged sheepish looks as Kuwabara approached them from behind, a large ice-cream cone in hand.

"I got hungry, so I decided to stop for some frozen yogurt. Want some?" He shoved the dripping vanilla ooze under his black-haired friend's nose.

Yusuke laughed nervously, waving his hands in front of his face. "Um, that's okay. Kurama and I were just about to head down south. We think we've found her."

Kuwabara shoved the rest of the cone in his mouth. "O-kuhay. Sihounds gud ra be."

"Dude! Either take smaller bites or _swallow_! Geeze. Sometimes I wonder if there's actually a brain up there."

The orange-haired boy did as he had been instructed, but only so he could conjure up a nasty snarl. "Shut up, Urameshi. You've got no right to say things that also pertain to you."

"I'll _pretend _like I didn't hear that," came his seething reply.

"Do you really think it's wise for all of us head in the same direction? Perhaps we should split up. Cover more ground?" Kurama interjected.

Yusuke, ignoring Kuwabara's insane death looks, nodded. "Sounds like a plan. How about you head down south, I head east, and the buffoon over here heads west? We can forget north because—"

"Hey, who ya callin' _buffoon?_"

Yusuke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Would you get over yourself, man? We've got work to do!"

"Yes, I agree."

The spirit detective raised a black brow as he shifted his gaze in the fox's direction. "With the fact that Kuwabara needs to get over himself?"

Kurama grinned and slowly shook his head. "Actually, I was referring to the directions you proposed we take."

Kuwabara pouted, bitterly crossing his arms. "Okay fine. Pretend like I'm not here and that it's _perfectly _okay to make fun of me...TO MY FREAKING FACE!"

But the other two boys did not hear him, for they were already heading off in their respected directions.

Kuwabara's brow began to furiously furrow. "_And _walk away from me while I'm trying to defend myself…yeah." He then moped off in the opposite direction Yusuke had gone, hoping that their search would come to a quick close, because, well…

He was sort of starting to get hungry again.

"Aw man! And I spent my last few bucks on that jumbo waffle cone!" He frowned as he turned out his empty pockets, but his dismay quickly vanished as a semi-bright idea came crashing into him: "Hey! Maybe I can stop at home for like five minutes and grab a quick bite to eat! I mean, I do believe that it's on the way...yeah! I will! Besides, the guys will never know, especially since...well, _they're_ not here!" He grinned evilly and broke off into something between a clumsy skip and a run.

Once he had reached his apartment complex, he slowed to a walk. "I wonder what time it is. Maybe dinner's ready or something." As he approached his front door, a loud, intense crash reverberated across the darkening sky, startling him half-to-death. "What the…?" Curiosity getting the best of him, Kuwabara retracted his hand from the doorknob and, supposing that the sound had originated from somewhere behind the building, slowly made his way into the back alley.

At first glance, the long, dark road looked completely desolate, aside from an old man who was throwing away a bag of garbage a couple yards down. "Huh. I guess it was nothi—"

"_**SHIT**__! That REALLY, really hurt! Grrr—note to self: the next time Botan suggests you get REALLY small so she can jump REALLY high…REFUSE!"_

Kuwabara froze. 'Did that freaky, little voice just say '_Botan_?'"

"_BOTAN!_ _WHERE THE FRICKEN HELL ARE YOU?"_

'Yup. It sure did.'

Hearing a soft rustling sound originate from one of the large, open garbage bins, Kuwabara slowly pivoted on his feet and stared at the metal box like it was some sort of foreign object, his coal-black eyes wide as saucers. Half-expecting a person to come crawling out, his mouth widened in disbelief as a small, black kitten clawed its way out of the smelly debris and hopped to the ground "Uh…"

"_Stupid pocket…stupid garbage…STUPID CLAWS!_ _WHY DID YOU HAVE TO FAIL ME? WHY? I DEMAND AN EXPLA— uh-oh…"_

Kuwabara started down at the kitten in utter horror. "I _so _did not just hear you talk. Because cats are _not _supposed to talk."

The kitten grimaced. '_Uh-oh Callie, think fast!' _She meowed softly.

"Wait a minute…"

'_Crap!_' She meowed again.

"Wait...a..._minute_!"

Callie meowed yet again, except this time with much more gusto.

"Yes, yes, it's all coming back to me!"

'_Oh shit_…'

"I remember you now!"

'_No you don't, no you don't, no you don't!_'

"You're that shape-shifting feline Urameshi and I met in Reikai! The one that kicked Hiei's ass so fricken hard, he lost his ability to sit! Ha ha! Yeah! I just can't seem to remember your—hey, wait a minute. Where are you going?"

'_No, you stupid twit!_ _Don't FOLLOW me!'_

Kuwabara bounded after the kitten that had suddenly bolted off down the alley, struggling to avoid large bags of garbage that had fallen into the middle of the road. "_Wait_! I know it's you! I remember your voice! And you have the ability to change into any kind of cat, right? So it would make sense as to why you're now small and fury as opposed to huge and ferocious! Aw, come on! I just want to know your name! I forgot!"

'_Oh, shove it up your goddamn ass and quit FOLLOWING ME!'_ Callie mentally screamed. '_SHIT! Botan can't come down to retrieve me if this stupid moron's tailing me!'_

"HERE KITTY KITTY! COME TO KUWABARA!"

'_If I do that, then I may be forced to tear out your fucking VOICE BOX, you imbecile!'_

Kuwabara chased her for a couple more yards until she darted underneath a tall, wooden fence and disappeared from sight.

"NO! WAIT!"

"_Heh, heh— SO __**LONG **__SUCKER!"_

"Hey! Who you callin'…eh, forget it." The defeated boy let out a long, tired sigh as he slowed to a halt, turned around, and headed back home. "At least _now _I know I'm not crazy…sheesh. I don't think that I'll ever look at Eikichi the same way again."

**oooOOOooo**

"Feisty little _fiend," _Hiei mumbled as he picked himself up off the ground, dusted off, and re-sheathed his sword. "She is going to _pay_ for that."

He was about to teleport away when he sensed a familiar aura approach him from behind. "You know, it's too bad you weren't here three seconds ago. I could've used some of your irrefutable persuasive skills."

"What did you do, Hiei?" came his curt reply.

The black-haired apparition seethed as he whirled around to face the speaker. "What did _I_ do! More like, 'what did _she _do!' Did you _not_ just see me face down in the concrete?"

"I cannot believe that Botan would have willingly attacked you without the proper incentive," Kurama replied sternly. When his partner didn't respond right away, he continued: "So I am going to ask you once more: what did you do?"

Hiei crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders. "What does it matter? What's done is done."

Kurama gave him a disbelieving look. "Hiei, the purpose of this mission is to try and _retrieve _the girl; not impel her to vanish."

"That's what I was doing…_'retrieving'_ her," the three-eyed demon retorted, making little quote signs in the air to emphasize his point. It was something he had seen the spirit detective do on numerous occasions and found it to be rather amusing.

"I see. And why is it that I don't believe you?" the kitsune replied, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't know. I'm not you, am I?" came his sarcastic response.

Kurama sighed. "No, I suppose not. But your suspicious behavior has lost you your freedom." He motioned for the angry sprite to follow with a wave of his hand. "Come. We're going to search together."

"Whatever."

**oooOOOooo**

Callie, upon picking up the pleasant scent of her missing escort, quickly rounded the corner of the long strip mall she had been dashing alongside and entered a dark, desolate alleyway. Trashcans and garbage bins chaotically lined the fortifications of either of the surrounding buildings, giving the dark and dreary atmosphere a rather _unpleasant_ odor. The miniature feline cringed as the foul aroma imprudently invaded her sensitive nostrils.

"_Dirty humans._"

She spotted her awaiting companion standing somewhere towards the end of the creepy road, leaning casually against the left-hand building's grimy, brickwall with her head lowered, arms folded, and legs semi-crossed. She didn't even look up as she muttered: "Nice one, Callie. Real nice."

The furry, black kitten hissed vehemently. "_Oh, shut up! It's not my fault that stupid oaf heard me, remembered who I was, and decided it'd be fun to CHASE me for a mile and a half!"_

"First of all, it was a _block_ and a half. Second...yes, it _is_ your fault."

"_And it's NOT my fault that my claws didn't hold!"_

"Um…_yes_ it is."

"_No, ya know what? This is all YOUR fault because YOU were the one that insisted on doing cutesy little flips and summersaults every time you jumped, making it SO much easier for me to slip out…AND I DID!"_

"Just shut up and come here. I don't want any more close encounters." As the deity bent down to snatch up her feisty, little friend, an eerie chill ascended her spine, causing her to pause in mid-bend. She recovered quickly though, stuffing the cursing cat into her sweatshirt and straightening stiffly. "_Fuck_."

"_What? Gotta pee?_" inquired a tiny voice from below.

Botan cautiously exited the alleyway, scanning the near-empty street with narrowed amethyst eyes. "Quiet. We've got company."

"_(gasp) Are you serious? Oh, for the love of—this isn't my fault, I SWEAR!"_ Callie vociferously whispered, peaking her furry, black head out of one end of the pocket.

Botan removed her hood from her head with a swift sweep of her hand, freeing her long, blue mane from its cramped prison. "Show yourself," she hissed, staring vehemently at a shadowed area a few yards down. "I _know_ you're there."

A few moments later, a tall, dark haired boy stepped fourth into the light. Holding up his hands, he carefully advanced a couple of inches and said: "I know what it looks like, but I can assure you…it's not what you think."

"Oh really?" Botan snapped, tightening her fists. "And just what exactly do you suppose I'm thinking?"

The boy took a couple more steps forward, lowering his hands as he replied: "I'm not like the last guy you encountered; I'm all for pain-free negotiation."

The deity's tense expression deadpanned. "Um…that's nice."

"_More like stupid_."

The intruder ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Look. Had I any idea that stalking women was part of a Spirit Detective's job description, I would have reconsidered being resurrected and gone to Hell. I mean, let's be honest: I'd be way better than walking around with broken balls all the time."

Botan raised a brow, her upper lip curling into a disgusted snarl. "You're right, Callie. This guy _is _a dumb-ass."

The feline snorted. "_Told ya_."

The detective nervously scratched the back of his head. "Actually, the name's Yusuke; Yusuke Ura—"

"What the hell does Koenma want from me?" Botan snapped, carelessly cutting him off. "I've run away plenty of times before and he's let me be. What makes this time so special?"

Yusuke frowned. "You really want to know?"

"_Of COURSE we really want to know! What do take us for, hypocrites?"_

"Shut up, Callie…yes. I would like to know; especially since my personal space is being tirelessly invaded by you and your nasty friends."

The spirit detective paused for a moment. "How about I explain Koenma's dim-witted shenanigans..._on_ the way back to Reikai?"

Botan's curious expression grew vicious as she growled: "_Wrong_ answer."

"Hey, wait a minute. Okay, _okay_! Forget what I said! How about I—"

"How about no?" The blue-haired deity sneered, shoving Callie's head back into her pocket. "Good-_bye_."

"No, wait! _Wait_! I'm sorry, I didn't meant to—"

But it was too late. She was already gone.

Yusuke slammed his fist into a nearby wall. "Dammit! Me and my _stupid _big mouth!" He sighed and slid his hands into his pockets. "I am _totally _taking a nap after this wild goose chase is over. Women can be _so_ infuriating."

**oooOOOooo**

Night had finally fallen, although it was really hard to tell since the sky was still enveloped in gloomy, gray storm clouds. Streetlights buzzed and flickered on and off as Kurama and Hiei strolled vigilantly beneath them, giving the desolate road a bit of a sinister feel.

Suddenly, Hiei came to an abrupt halt, instinctively reaching for his sword. "Wait a minute."

"What?"

"There."

"Where? What are you—_Hiei_!"

The honey-eyed demon quickly whizzed away, appearing a few seconds later atop a tall, office building across the street.

"Dammit," Kurama cursed, bolting after him. "He's being reckless again."

Once he was atop the building, Hiei carefully scanned his surroundings. 'I know she was here. I sensed her less then a—heh. _There _you are…'

Zipping across the roof, Hiei leapt onto the roof of a neighboring building, stopping directly in front of his startled prey.

"You!"

"_Him_!"

Hiei smirked as he unsheathed his sword. "Are you prepared to suffer the consequences of your prior actions?"

Botan scowled, tightening her fists. "Not particularly."

He cackled maliciously. "Too bad."

Callie gasped in horror as the sadistic man came hurdling towards them, primed to slice them into pieces. '_Oh no he doesn't…'_ Snapping her jaw tightly shut, the brave little kitten leapt from her companion's pocket, transforming into a full-fledged lion in the process. As her clawed paws came in contact with the swordsman's body, she shifted directions, shoving them both off edge of the building. "_NOW, BOTAN!_ _**RUN**__!"_

Botan covered her mouth with her hand as she watched the two tumble 20-plus stories to the ground. "_Callie_! You're such a _stupid _fool!" Tears even threatened to pour from her sparkling, amethyst eyes, but she forcefully withheld them. She had cried _so_ _much _over the past fifteen years—wasted _so_ many countless tears. And for what? Because she had been forced to watch her mother die? Because she had been betrayed by the _only_ person she had ever loved? Or was it merely because she was feeling sorry for herself? Sorry that she was, and always would be, alone?

Just as she was about to bolt off, a strange, unfamiliar presence appeared behind her. She snarled viciously as she whirled around to face it, her silky hair whipping in the wind. This time, a tall, red-haired boy with vivid emerald eyes was the obstacle that lay in her path. So _this _was the fourth and final moron that had been assigned to hunt her down: the pretty redhead. Yes, the fourth person she had encountered in the last twelve hours who was unreservedly bent on bringing her back to Reikai; back to that ever-needy Lord and his stupid servants. Well FYI: she had had _**enough.**_

Biting back the urge to scream, she hissed, "_Why_? Why won't you all just leave me the hell _alone_?"

He spoke to softly, never once attempting to raise his tone: "I'm sorry to disturb you like this, and...I know that you're probably terribly sick of listening to the same, selfish request, but…it's for your own good."

Narrowing her eyes, she retorted, "For my own good? My _own_ good? You call stalking me until I go mentally insane _good?_ What the fuck do _you_ know about what's best for me?" She paused, lowering her voice to a frightening whisper as she added: "You don't even know me."

The boy's expression remained blank, as did his eyes. It was almost as if he were a hollow shell, a shadow of another being, or a robot of mechanical nature. How could anyone be so emotionless? It was unnatural. Unnatural and unsettling "You're right. Forgive me if I seem invasive."

Botan stared at him like he was some sort of psychotic fiend. "Forgive you? Just who the hell do you think you are?" She paused, inhaling deeply. "Better yet, _why_ are you still here? Because, yes, as a matter of fact you _are_ being invasive! And _no_, I do _not_ forgive you!"

He didn't respond to her sudden outburst, nor did he seem to overly react in any way. Instead, he held out his hand and said: "If you come with me, I promise to explain everything."

Her eyes narrowed. Typical male asshole. They may have all looked different on the outside, but on the inside they were all the same! "_Fuck_ you."

"Please. I mean you no harm. And I apologize if any of my teammates made you feel otherwise."

Botan didn't take his hand, but she didn't run either. For some reason, she got the feeling that no matter how far or fast she ran, someone would always be waiting for her at the end, ready to take her away. That's what her life was like, though: one, big lose-lose situation.

So what to do? If she went with him, all of her questions would be answered, the detectives would stand down, and she would be left alone. And yet, at the same time, if she resigned, she would be willingly submitting to the demands of four, thick-headed adolescents; and being compliant with incompetent members of the opposite sex was _not_ something she found to be very attractive…

"Botan."

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. "_What_."

"Come with me."

The blue-haired deity scowled and shoved her hands into her pockets, swatting his hand away with own. "Fine. Just…just don't touch me."

The redhead nodded curtly. "Of course."

Yes, she would go, but not for him. Not for him, that pompous spirit detective, Koenma—_nobody_. If she was going to go, it would be for _herself_—maybe Callie—but no one else. After all, she was a loner. She did things her own way. And if people weren't willing to accept that, well then…

They could go screw themselves.

"You're making the right decision."

She glared at the solemn boy out of the corner of her narrowed eyes and scowled. "Shut up."

Screw him and phony politeness.

Screw it all.

**oooOOOooo**


	4. And You Are?

A-hem. Chapter four if you will…

**Disclaimer**: If I did, you'd _know_. TRUST ME.

**oooOOOooo**

Chapter 4: **And You Are**…?

_What the…?_

_Where was he? What had happened? And why did it feel as if all of his aches and pains had suddenly subsided? The silver-haired kitsune slowly lifted his heavy lids to reveal glazed, golden eyes, shifting them in either direction in a futile attempt to figure out what was going on, when…_

_The image of a frightened woman with long blue hair, purple eyes, and crumpled white garbs suddenly flashed before his eyes, causing them to go wide. That blasted woman—where had she gone? And what had she done to him? She was the last thing he recalled before succumbing to that mind-numbing slumber…_

"_Finally_ _awake, I see."_

_That voice…_

_Was it hers?_

_He blinked a couple of times in order to clear his blurred vision, hoping to catch sight of the girl—wherever she was. Instead he noticed that his surroundings had drastically altered: as opposed to being sprawled out in the midst of a scorched field, he was now situated somewhere next to a stream, surrounded by sparkling, magenta-hued trees._

_He breathed deeply, just to ensure he wouldn't cough the next time he tried to speak, and released the captured air in the form of a sigh. Feeling rather confident that his condition had improved, the fox rolled onto his side, pushed his upper body off the ground with a grunt, and propped his back against one of the lush, berry-scented trees. He then slowly reached down to feel how his gaping wound was progressing, only to find that it was no longer there._

_He had completely healed._

"_I was starting to wonder if I had given you too much nemurigusuri.__1 __You've been asleep for almost three days."_

_The kitsune snapped his penetrating, golden gaze in the direction of the soft voice. "**You**."_

_She sighed. "I have a name, you know."_

_He sneered. _"_I don't care who you __**are**__—I care what you __**did**__." Lowering his voice to a menacing whisper, he added: "So tell me: what the __**hell**__ was it?"_

_There was a short pause on her end before:_ "_I healed you."_

_Well that explained the sudden alleviation of his pain, but…_"_I thought I had made it clear that I did __**not**__ wish for you to interfere."_

_Her soft gaze hardened. "You were going to **die**."_

"_You don't know me."_

"_So?"_

_He grunted. "**So**, for all you know, you could've revived a ruthless and vindictive murder that had been deliberately left for dead."_

_She shrugged, her expression indifferent. "What's done is done. And I have no regrets."_

_Well…**that** was good to know. "You seem to misunderstand: I was quite capable of caring for myself. You had no business **drugging** me."_

_She shook her head. "Still in denial, I see."_

_A low growl emitted from his throat, but he didn't persist. For some reason, the mere thought of remaining angry with this irritating creature seemed far too tiring, not to mention absolutely pointless. He shot the girl a quick glance, only to find that her gaze had been redirected towards the sky, a small smile playing on her sun-kissed lips. He suddenly found himself wondering: were humans supposed to be beautiful? He'd always figured, from the ones he'd encountered in the past, that they were all grotesque, brainless creatures whose emotions were highly sensitive and vastly unpredictable. This woman didn't appear to possess any of those qualities (except, perhaps, a bit of a mental issue), but perchance it was because she was only **part **primate as opposed to full-fledged. _

_Averting his gaze, he asked: "Where did your wings go?" He had seen them…right?_

"_Away," she said, her voice far away. _

"_Of course." He paused. "Just what __**are**__ you exactly?"_

_He felt her attention return to him._ "_What is __**that**__ supposed to mean?" _

_The kitsune met her irritated gaze with an intrigued one of his own. _"_You're part human, are you not? What sort of demon was foolish enough to mate with one?"_

_Her eyes narrowed slightly, but other then that the blue-haired woman showed no indication that his question had angered her. Her tone even remained indifferent: "My mother was anything but foolish."_

_**Was**__. Did that mean she was alone?_ "_That doesn't answer my question."_

_She remained silent for a moment, her brow wrinkling as if deep in thought. She began cautiously, like a mouse in the presence of an oblivious cat: _"_Do you know what __**Veela**__ are?"_

_He quirked a thin, silver brow. "What do you take me for? A hermit?" He paused, eying her curiously. "Part **Veela**, you say?"_

_She snarled. "What? Is that too hard for you to believe?"_

"_**No**__." He struggled to suppress a smirk. " It's just…you don't look very much like a bird."_

_She scrunched up her nose in what appeared to be confusion. "Pardon? Veela aren't—well they are, but…" She trailed off, her mouth falling agape. "Why you little…that's **not** funny."_

"_Sorry," he said, smirk in full bloom. "You had it coming." _

_She took in a deep breath and sighed. "Well, I'm assuming, since you've decided to get smart with me, that you're no longer angry with me...are you?"_

_He stared at her oddly. "I was never angry with you."_

"_But…" she began, fumbling for words. "You tried to kill m—"_

"_I was __**furious**__ with you," he interjected, his expression hardening. "It just so happens that I have better things to do than stay angry with mentally unstable women like yourself. I have things to do; people to rob." A long sigh escaped him. "You understand though, right? You seem like a reasonable enough __**half-breed**__."_

_The young deity didn't respond right away. Instead, she lowered her lids and hugged her body, as if racked by a sudden chill. Then, in a low whisper, she said: "Of course." It almost sounded as if she was disheartened by his hasty declaration of dislike…funny. He was convinced she would have kicked him for that one._

"_You don't know who I am, do you?" He stared at her until she met his eyes._

"_No. I don't. Care to enlighten me?"_

_Ah. No wonder she wasn't frightened—or swooning. The word thief must not have meant much to her. Then again, most females wouldn't need to know who he was. They'd still swoon. _

_He idly lolled his head off towards the right, keeping his eyes on her as he said: "Not particularly."_

_She frowned. "Then you're very misleading." Her voice seemed to trail off, as did her attention._

_His lips twitched. "More like **deceptive**, wouldn't you say?"—Wait. Why was he bothering to toy with her? He was a mighty fox demon. She was a lowly half-breed. Clearly, something was off._

"_Well, my name is Botan," she said after a short pause, still staring off into space, "Of course anyone who's willing to brutally interrogate their own __**savior**__ must not really care enough to know her name." She shot him a quick, irritated glare._

_The fox inwardly smirked. _"_Well, if you must know…"_

"_If __**I**__ must know?" she snapped, arms stiffening at her sides. "You men are all the same, aren't you? Sarcastic, thoughtless— __**obtrusive**__."_

_Ignoring her exclamation, the silver fox slowly rose from the ground, towering over the deity with his tall, muscular frame. "My name is Kurama. Youko Kurama." He searched her face for any sign of shock, fear, or worry, but, strangely, found none. "You've really never heard of me, have you?"_

_She crossed her arms and sighed, arching her neck in order to keep her expression level with his. "My, aren't we full of ourselves."_

"_You know, you're quite brave for a pretty fool."_

"_And you're quite dense for such an experienced apparition."_

_He raised a brow. "Just how old do you think I am?" _

_Counting apathetically on her fingers, she replied, "Oh…I'd say almost 3 centuries."_

_He nodded slowly_. _**Impressive**_ "_And what are you? Like 10?"_

"_I'm much closer to 20, thank you."_

_He snorted. "Of course. How could I have been so blind?"_

_She brushed his sarcasm aside with a wave of her hand and asked:_ "_Kurama...can I call you that?"_

"_I suppose."_

_She smiled a playful, toothy smile. "Good."_

_Well. This was a drastic change from before. Perhaps her mental stability was less grounded than he'd originally thought. Than again, she **was** a woman, so…"I don't think I like your tone."_

_She merely laughed in response. _

_Like she knew something he didn't…_

**oooOOOooo**

"Please, Urameshi. I highly doubt that. I mean, we're just two, insignificant nobodies. Sure, you may be a spirit detective and I may be the Great Kazuma Kuwabara, but we still have yet to obtain much of a major rep in the whole 'demonic' community; not that those blood-suckin' bastards have anything even _remotely_ similar to civilized societies, but, well, you get my drift."

"Er…no. Not really."

Kuwabara rolled his dark, coal-black eyes. "In other words, what would a tough guy like _him_ possibly want with a couple of measly guys like _us?"_

"What the—did you just refer to me as being 'measly', thus putting me in the same category as you?—No wait…forget it. Don't answer that. We'd just be going off on a totally irrelevant tangent."

"Okay. Wuzn't gunna 'eneewayz."

Yusuke shook his head and sighed. "Getting back to the matter at hand…_dude._ We fought him. We've _faced_ Toguro. Sure, we may not have fazed him much, but—knowing sadistic, evil fiends like him—he's bound to want to finish off what we started."

"And your point is…_what_ exactly?"

"My point?"

"Yes, Urameshi, your POINT. Do you need me to spell it out for you?"

Yusuke swallowed the intense urge to scream, allowing a small, frustrated growl to escape his pursed lips instead. "Look, Kuwabara. Even if the Toguro brothers _aren't_ after us, we should still be prepared."

"For?"

"Anything. Besides, that's my job as Spirit Detective of the Ningenkai: to be ready for anything out of the ordinary."

Kuwabara raised a thick, orange brow. "Uh-huh. And I say that you're either overly skeptical or have a massive bug shoved up your ass…or both."

"For the love of—I cannot _believe_ that I'm even having this conversation with you! That, and I can't believe I haven't yet resorted to beating you senseless with stupid stick!"

"Heh. Admit it, Urameshi. You're intimidated by my powerful physique. Can't blame you, though. I do look rather _strapping_, don't I?"

The spirit detective snorted, wincing slightly as a loud scream—no doubt Koenma's—erupted from behind the closed, double doors that stood before them. "Don't make me laugh."

"Dude…are you _mocking_ me?"

Yusuke rolled his eyes and turned towards their passive, red haired friend, ignoring the dirty looks that were being directed his way. "Hey Kurama, what do you think? About Toguro, I mean."

The kitsune's eyes widened for a brief moment as he was abruptly torn from a captivating reverie, mentally cursing himself for allowing his mind to wander for the umpteenth time. "I…" He quickly shook his head and scanned his surroundings. He appeared to be standing outside of Koenma's closed office doors along with the two teen fighters, waiting for the tiny Prince to finish interrogating the poor blue-haired woman he had locked inside. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid that I missed your question."

Yusuke sighed, unsure as to whether or not he should be worried about his lucid-dreaming friend. "Eh, never mind. Wasn't all that important anyway." Rubbing his tired, brown eyes, he continued: "Well, I think Kuwabara and I should head on back to the Ningenkai now, seeing as how Koenma supposedly has everything under control." He paused for a moment as another muffled scream reached their sensitive ears. "Then again…"

"What the hell's he blaring at the poor broad for, anyway? It's not like she went off and murdered someone," the orange-haired street fighter tediously inquired, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his first finger and thumb.

Yusuke shrugged. "I dunno. What I _do_ know is that we had better find Hiei before he rips that finicky feline of hers to shreds."

"Or vice versa," Kurama wistfully added. Noticing his two companions raise their brows in disbelief, he added, "You shouldn't belittle Callie. She's probably a lot stronger then the two of you combined."

"Hey, I won't deny the fact that she could probably kick my ass six ways to Sunday if she so desired," the spirit detective began, "but we can't forget the small, _seemingly_ insignificant fact that Hiei, when pushed far enough, can become rather…well, vicious, if ya know what I mean."

Kuwabara nodded in concurrence. "So technically, what Urameshi meant when he said 'find Hiei before he rips the girl to shreds,' was that—" Another loud screech erupted from within the toddler's office, cutting the spirit swordsman off in mid-sentence. He sighed and shook his head in defeat. "Eh, forget it."

Yusuke grinned, slowly shaking his own head. "Heh. You know, I _still_ wonder if the little bastard's ever gotten pissed enough to make his head explode."

Kuwabara snickered while Kurama merely closed his eyes and said: "Regardless…"

Yusuke held up a hand and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Look, to be honest, I just wanted an excuse that would get me the frick outta here. I mean, I can only take so much of Koenma's incessant bantering."

Kuwabara nodded as well. "Yup. I'm with him on this one."

Kurama sighed. "Well, I suppose I could always remain behind in the event things start to get out of hand." He ignored the sly grin that viciously tugged at the corners of the spirit detective's mouth and continued: "Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do at the moment."

"Oh yeah," came his sarcastic reply. "I'm sure."

"I'm sorry, was I supposed to find that funny?" the red-haired kitsune tediously inquired, shooting the black-haired teen a hard glare. "Because I didn't."

Yusuke laughed softly, shoving one hand in his pocket and waving the other across his face. "I'm sorry, man. Couldn't help myself there."

"I noticed," came his sour response.

"Uh…am I missing something? Because I totally feel like I am…_again_," Kuwabara muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Yusuke quickly shook his head, shooting the inwardly annoyed redhead a cocky grin as he dragged the confused street fighter away. "Nope. Not a thing. Catch ya later, Kurama."

Kuwabara eyed him intently, snatching his arm away. "Why do I get the feeling that you're lying to me?"

"Cause you're paranoid. That's why," came his amused reply.

Kurama watched as the arguing pair walked out of sight, rolling his eyes as the "wiser" of the two shot him yet _another_ amused glance and an _exceedingly_ immature mental message. He shook his head in disbelief and turned back towards the door.

No, he was not remaining behind to, as his friend had so eloquently put it, "_woo_" the girl. He was merely there to ensure that the Prince didn't need any further assistance. See if he could catch a few words with Hinegeshi about the current "Toguro" situation—perhaps act as a base for Hiei and Callie in the off chance that either of them decided to return to the spiritual realm upon escaping or completing their duel (which wasn't a very comforting thought, come to think of it).

That made sense, didn't it?

Kurama laughed softly, slowly shaking his head as he shoved his hands into his warm, uniform pockets and leaned casually against the wall adjacent from the left-most door. Yes. Yes, of course it did.

Perfect sense.

**oooOOOooo**

Blood.

She was covered in the warm, sticky substance from head to toe, but fortunately, most of it belonged to _him_. That evil, black-haired _monster_. No, not the one that had insidiously murdered her companion's mother…

The _other_ one.

The one that had just recently decided to enter her life. The one that found the large, gaping gashes in either of her hind legs to be somewhat of a triumph on his part. The one that she almost despised as much as her shape-shifting opposite…

As Katsuro.

A violent shiver swept across the feline's beaten and bloodied frame as she recalled the black haired, golden-eyed canine. The feud that either of their powerful clans had commenced…

The bloodshed that had eradicated almost everyone and everything.

The entire ordeal had been so thoughtless, so _pointless_—not to mention pathetic—that it made her feel sick every time she thought about it. It started out with a petty argument that ensued between their fathers during an arranged peace-agreement; one of those "you stay off of my land, I'll stay off of yours" type thing. But everyone knows that those never work, so, in the end, well…

Let's just say that there weren't many people left to occupy the land.

And, seeing as how she and Katsuro were the only two remaining royals left on either side, they became each others' worst enemies…as stupid and inane as that may seem.

But they were.

They still were.

And as long as they both still breathed the same air, they always would be.

The wildcat would've continued to dwell on the disconcerting memory of her past and the image of the handsome yet wicked wolf-demon, much to her inner conscious' dismay, if it weren't for the fact that a sharp, metal object had come in contact with her furry back, engulfing her weakened body in a harsh, wave of critical pain.

"_SHIT_!" she roared, leaping forwards in order to evade another blow she had sensed coming. She quickly spun around to face the culprit, arching her back and baring her long, shark-like teeth at his darkened silhouette.

"Never let your guard down in the middle of a battle, you ignoramus," her opponent hissed, smirking as he examined the dark, red stain that had enveloped most of his sword. "Not unless you _want_ me to rip that pretty little coat of yours straight off your back."

Callie snarled, a low growl emitting from her parched throat. It appeared that, regardless of his many scrapes, scratches, and wounds, the swordsman still had a lot of fight left within him. Which meant that her simple "lion" attire wasn't going to do her much good anymore.

Time to bring out the BIG guns then, eh?

Oh _yes_.

While there were many forms that the mighty, shape-shifting feline could take, there was only one specific figure that she thought to be truly profound. One who's appearance and power rivaled that of any other animalistic-type demon she had ever come into contact with. She had seen in a book she had stolen from Botan's apartment—something about "prehistoric life." It turned out that this particular breed of cat had been (alas, it was long extinct) the fiercest feline to ever step foot on the face of Ningenkai, and, combined with her own vicious, demonic aura, had the potential to become an unyielding power that possessed immeasurable speed, strength, and agility…

The power of the Saber-toothed Tiger.

However, she couldn't transform into such a monstrosity in the midst of a sleeping city. It was risky enough to be in the form of a large, mountain lion. She would have to lead the fire demon away to a more dark and secluded area; which might prove to be somewhat difficult, considering he was pretty fast for a short, tight-lipped jackass.

She gave the black-haired brute one last nasty glare before pivoting on her paws and bolting off in the opposite direction. '_This had BETTER work.'_

Hiei sighed and rolled his eyes, sheathing his sword as he watched the pesky feline make a mad dash for a dark and desolate forested area. "Hn. Foolish bitch."

He was in front of her within seconds, sword once again unsheathed and pointed directly towards her incoming head. Much to his dismay, however, his opponent had sensed his arrival and stopped mere millimeters from the tip of his blade, transforming into her tiny, human-like form in the process. He frowned. "I was going watch you split your own skull in two. Why'd you have to go and ruin that for me?"

Callie stared at the spiky-haired demon incredulously. What the _hell_ was up with his sudden informal attitude? Five minutes ago, he was fuming at her for knocking him clear off a building; there was no way that fury could've dissipated unless he'd come down with an unexpected—not to mention unfeasible—case of amnesia…

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she spat, scrunching up her nose in disgust. She was too pissed to even notice that the honey-eyed demon had his weapon pressed hard against her heaving chest; the precise spot her cold, wet nose had once been.

"Wrong?"

"Yes."

"With me?"

"Yes!"

He smirked, raising the tip of his sword so that it came to rest against the base of the snarling girl's neck. Her heart must have been pounding rather hard because the air around his slick, metal blade would quiver every few milliseconds, almost as if it were in sync with a rapidly accelerating beat. "Absolutely nothing. Why do you ask?"

She screamed, though it wasn't out of fear: it would out of frustration and lots of it: "YOU STUPID ASSHOLE! WHAT KINDA OF GODDAMN QUESTION IS THAT?"

Hiei slowly raised a thin, black brown. "A literal one?" But Callie wasn't listening to him. She was too busy fuming to listen. So she did what any sane woman would have done in such a situation: she continued to scream.

"I MEAN, FIRST YOU TRY TO KILL ME, THEN YOU TRY TO KILL BOTAN. THEN YOU TRY TO KILL ME _AGAIN_! AND WHY? I DON'T EVEN FREAKING KNOW! IT'S LIKE YOU'RE POSSESSED WITH SOME SICK AND TWISTED URGE TO HARASS, MUTILATE, AND MURDER INNOCENT, YOUNG WOMEN, _LIKE_ _ME_, WHO HAVE AS MUCH INTEREST IN YOU AS SATAN DOES ECSTASY!"

The fire demon's expression went from confused to amused. "Interest? Who said anything about interest?" She appeared to be too busy panting to respond, so he continued: "I mean, your friend has already been persuaded to return to the spiritual realm and is being escorted there as we speak; the only reason that I decided to continue to fight you was because _you_ were continuing to fight _me_."

Callie, who had been in some sort of shocked, angry and bewildered revere suddenly came to, snarling like the angry lion she once was: "Oh, for the love of—this is bullshit. _Pure_ bullshit! I mean, I cannot _believe_ we are even _having_ this conversation right now!"

"Maybe it's because you started it."

"No, it's because you're a fucking _moron_!"

"I resent that."

The brown-haired girl let out another angry roar, a frighteningly realistic one at that, before slamming the fire demon's sword away with her palm—slicing it open in the process—charging straight into his chest, and knocking him flat onto his back. "SON-OF-A-BITCH! YOU ARE _SO_ GONNA DIE!"

Hiei snorted at the enraged girl's feeble attempt to wind him, apparently unfazed by the fact that she was currently pummeling his chest with her fists as she straddled his waist. 'Hn. That's what _she_ thinks…' And in one, quick, swift motion, the black-haired apparition turned the tables.

Callie grunted as her back slammed hard against the cold, stony pavement, wincing slightly as she felt jutting rocks slice through her skin. She blinked a couple of times in order to make the world stop spinning, gasping aloud as her current situation came to a sickeningly abrupt halt.

Realization could be so cruel.

Hiei sat smirking above her, sword raised high above his head with one hand while the other was pressed firmly between her breasts in an effort to hold her down. "It's over, I'm afraid. Though I must say, you turned out to be a better opponent then I'd expected." His smirk then vanished and was replaced with a cold, hard stare. Apparently, the "indifferent" Hiei had returned. "Now, prepare to _die_."

Callie's brown eyes widened. No way. She was going to _die_? This couldn't be happening. There were so many more things that she had left to do! Like, help Botan find that evil fox-boy so she could kick his ass! And hunt down Katsuro so she that could kick his ass too! And…and…

In one last desperate attempt to flee, the brunette made a futile effort to transform into something small so that she could slip out from underneath her executioner's arm and scramble towards the nearest exit, wherever that happened to be. But for some reason, she couldn't. So she tried the next best thing: to transform into something _big_ in the hopes that she could, perhaps, overpower him and escape his plummeting sword.

But once again, she found that she couldn't. She couldn't even move. She was trapped in her human form—and why? Because she was a petty, defenseless slave of her own mind numbing _fear_. Once it consumed her, she became powerless. Immobile.

"Oh God…" were the only two words that escaped her quivering lips as she searched her captor's honey-hued eyes for any sign of mercy. But unfortunately, he wasn't kidding. He was really going to slice her skull in two…

He was really going to kill her.

Hiei let out a soft "hn" before allowing his sword to descend upon the panic-stricken feline beneath him. Yet something made him stop in mid-swoop. Something that he shouldn't have done. But it was too late for regret, because he had already done it.

He had already _seen_ it.

Yes, he had caught a faint glimpse of what the girl kept secluded behind her wide, coffee-hued eyes: the silent foreboding, the growing despondence, the painful despair, the immeasurable sadness…

He had seen her _soul_.

See, this was one of the reasons why he utterly _despised_ his Jagan eye. It often forced him see things that he didn't want to see.

And this was definitely one of those things.

His eyes widened as tears began to fall silently down her terror-stricken visage, her shimmering, brown orbs wordlessly pleading with him to release her…

To spare her life.

A situation such as this one should not have been enough to faze him. To force himself to stop and think about what he was doing and what sort of consequences were associated with his actions. So why the hell was he hesitating? Why wasn't he able to impassively and callously murder this woman for being the stupid wench that she was? He had been able to do it to countless women before her. What made her any different? _Why_ was she different? Why did he care so much about the quick, indiscernible flashes he had just seen, locked away behind her petrified eyes?

"Why the hell should I care?" he whispered hoarsely, more to himself then to her. He wasn't even looking at her anymore. His mind was far too baffled, implicated, and shaken to be able to focus on anything physical at the moment.

"HIEI!" a voice suddenly screamed, reverberating loudly across the silent, darkened street. "STOP! DON'T DO IT! SHE WAS ONLY TRYING TO PROTECT BOTAN!"

Hiei's eyes shot in the direction of the noise, narrowing as two, darkened silhouette's came stumbling into view. He quickly glanced back down at the shivering brunette beneath him. "You got lucky," he hissed as he sheathed his sword. "Don't think that this is over, though. Because it's anything but."

Callie blinked a couple of times in perplexity as she stared up at the swordsman like he had grown a twelfth head. "Are you _insane_?"

But he didn't answer her. The two approaching figures had already gotten too close. It was time for him to go.

So he did, furtively slipping away with wind.

**oooOOOooo**

Kurama didn't know how long he had been standing in front of Koenma's locked, office doors, but what he did know was that hadn't been waiting there, patiently, silently, and obediently, for further orders from the Prince, a glimpse of Hinegeshi, or a sign from Hiei and Callie. Not when there was a priceless piece of his past standing just behind those closed, office doors…

The screaming had ceased—what felt like—hours ago, and all that remained were soft, muffled exclamations, both male and female. He could only hope that this meant their argument was coming to a long-awaited close because he was starting to grow impatient; which was wasn't exactly normal for someone like him.

Definitely not normal.

He had seen the red-haired ferry girl come stumbling out of the room a short while ago—why she didn't just teleport was beyond him—but she hadn't much to say: just something about desperately needing to find a pair of extra thick earplugs and an icepack.

George had also walked by, but he was too busy mumbling incoherently to himself to stop to chat. But that was just fine with him. He hadn't much interest in hearing a dramatically enhanced story about his unsuccessful attempts to please his irate mother.

Suddenly, the door began to slowly creak open, allowing the stifled voices that were trivially snapping back and fourth at each other from within to become _semi_-clear.

"Look. It's not like I wanted to invade your privacy. You know how much I fear your inescapable wrath—both verbal _and_ physical. I was only trying to—"

"Protect me. Yes, I know. You only said it fifty-trillion times."

A set of fingers peeked its way out from behind the thick, cracked door, clamping the edge with strong, lithe joints.

"I know. But I cannot emphasize something _this_ dangerous enough—"

"I can take care of myself. You of all spirits should know that."

"I don't doubt that you can. It's just that if our suspicions are correct and Karasu _is_ in league with the Toguro brothers, then—"

"I'll be in some major shit. Yes, I'm aware of that too. You've overstressed that little fact as well."

"Right. Well, I suppose that'll be all for now. Just…just don't go running off like that again, you hear? The last thing I need is for your death to be placed atop my conscience along with everything else."

"Didn't know you cared."

"I do."

"Of course. That's why you'd 'feel bad' if I croaked, right?"

"Botan…"

"No, don't worry, Koenma. I get it."

The door was then pushed farther open to reveal an arm, part of a body, and then, eventually, the owner of the hand: a thin, blue-haired woman that looked like she had been run over by Hell and left for dead. She was still beautiful though. It was a part of her that would never fade, regardless of how damaged, stressed, and aggrieved she may have been.

She didn't see him right away, but when she did, her crestfallen expression fell even more. "Oh. It's you."

He nodded as he pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against. "Were you expecting someone else?"

She eyed him curiously, ignoring his previous question. "What are you doing here?"

Kurama smiled slightly. "Funny you should ask…"

The Veela raised an irritated brow. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Kurama sighed. So what was it going to be? A lie, or an excuse? "Yusuke and Kuwabara—you know, the other two that accompanied us here—decided to return to Ningenkai in the hopes of discontinuing the fight that had ensued between your friend and ours. So, seeing as how I had the option of either accompanying them or remaining here, I choose to linger while Koenma finished, shall we say, 'debriefing' you. That way, you weren't left to wonder what had happened whilst you were locked away."

She slowly nodded her head, brows raised and mouth slightly agape. "_Right_." She glared at him intently with cold, amethyst eyes. "And you are…?"

The emerald-eyed fox raised a thin, red brow. "You mean, you don't remember me? We only met a short while ago, did we not?"

Botan rolled her eyes. All the fucking same… "_Not_…what I meant."

"Oh, excuse me. Where are my manners?" He started to extend his hand, but, after further thought, decided against it and instead moved both into his pockets. "My name is Kurama. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Her eyes widened slightly, but she forced herself to remain impassive. For some reason, this boy transpired as being exceedingly perceptive—and the last thing she needed was another person psychoanalyzing her like some distraught mental case. "Uh-huh…"

Little did she know, the kitsune had seen it. The sudden look of fear, sadness, and distress that had abruptly obscured her beautiful features for the most imperceptible of moments. And, in his mind, that could've only meant two things: that she hadn't forgotten, but she also hadn't forgiven.

He gave her a small smile in response, deciding that it would probably be best if he changed the subject. "Well, what do you say we head off after the others? Perhaps they have already intercepted your friend."

The blue-haired deity shrugged, mumbling a quick, "fine" as she slowly began to walk off, slipping her hood back over her head in the process. Kurama silently followed.

So it was official. Not only did she not know it was him…

She couldn't know.

Not now…

Maybe not ever.

**oooOOOooo**

**1.** _Nemurigusuri_ is Japanese for "sleeping powder", a narcotic, or anesthetic.

-

I know that most of you are probably confused about that whole "Katsuro" thing, but dun worry. I'll be explaining Callie's dark and dreary past later on in the story.

Anyhoo, feel free ta review:) S'always appreciated.


	5. Stupid Fox

See? I _told_ you I wasn't dead! **:-**)

**Disclaimer**: Uh…no hablo ingles! O.o

**oooOOOooo**

Chapter 5: **Stupid Fox**

_Happiness._

_Excitement._

_Laughter._

_Love._

_Although these feelings, expressions, and emotions were presumably simple and insignificant pleasures—ones that both humans and demons alike had the capacity to experience—they had always felt unattainable to the young deity. After all, she had been alone for so long—12 years to be exact. Well…not completely alone. She did have Callie—a life-long companion of her late mother—but there was only so much that the shape-shifting feline could provide for her; only so much of her crumbling heart that she could mend. _

_For, aside from her heart-aching woes, there was this horrible sense of foreboding that enveloped her soul like a thick sheet of tangible darkness. In her most terrifying nightmares, this boundless shadow espoused the form of a jet-black raven with blood-red eyes and a lust for her blood; in reality, it was merely a reminder that she would be haunted by unsettling memories until the day she died._

_That is, unless she managed to vanquish their source—silence her screaming subconscious, evade the nightmares that clawed away at her sanity, rent though the darkness—make the tangible intangible._

_**However**_…

_At the given moment, hunting down Karasu was the __**least **__of her worries, for a certain silver-haired kitsune was too busy clouding her every thought to make space for anything else._ _After all, he was the one that would ultimately restore the missing pieces necessary to rebuild her shattered heart; or, at least that's what she had thought—__**no**__. It's what he had made her come to believe— __**tricked**__ her into thinking. Then again, a fiery, breathtaking kiss never lies, does it? So then what was she to believe?_

_Him?_

_Or that kiss?_

_He had run off before; numerous times in fact. But each of those excursions never took more then one, two days tops. And he'd always return with something he couldn't have **possibly** bought with currency of any sorts. He was a thief and always would be, but she had grown to accept that fact. Though, it wasn't because most of the spoils he brought back were for her. Absolutely not. That would be absurd, as flattering as it may have been._

_But here she was, sitting atop a smooth rock in the midst of a small, turquoise-hued stream, **alone**. It had been almost a year since he had left her in that very spot; since he had sworn that his little expedition would take no more than half a week. She couldn't sense him. She couldn't hear him. And she sure as hell hadn't seen him._

_There was just…nothing._

_Nothing at all._

_It was only after that long and dreadful year had come to a close that a horrible realization dawned upon her: one that she had been struggling to avoid ever since he had released her hand and sped off into the distance with that blasted bat demon…_

_He was never going to return. He had left her, taking the pieces of her heart that he had mended along with him._

_And she was alone._

_Again._

_Forever._

**oooOOOooo**

Her eyes widened as she felt a warm hand gently touch the small of her back. She looked over at the boy walking next to her as he re-pocketed said appendage, green eyes facing forward, face stoic and unreadable.

"_What_?" she snapped, eyes narrowing.

Kurama shifted his gaze in her direction for a brief moment as he asked: "Is something the matter?"

Botan shot him a weird look, even though his eyes were no longer directed at her, but said nothing. She remained silent for a while, eyes watching the passing ground, the wet flares of her jeans sloshing underneath her heels. Finally, she heard herself respond: "No."

The red-haired kitsune released a heavy puff of air through his nose, lips inwardly twitching upward into an amused smirk. Still the same, crappy liar…"Well, I don't believe you."

The blue-haired deity snorted. "Like I care."

And stubborn. _Incredibly_ so. "Well, I understand if you do not wish to talk about it now, but just know that I'm willing to listen when you're ready to speak."

Botan rolled her eyes. "Of course you are."

Kurama raised a brow at the girl's sudden remark, shifting his eyes in her direction once more. "What do you mean by that?"

The girl scoffed and shook her head. "Oh nothing." She paused for a moment to yawn. "Just admiring the fact that you men always seem to think you know _everything_, when in reality you know nothing more than the stupid assumptions you make."

The kitsune frowned, returning his gaze to the front. "You're right. Please forgive me for my rudeness."

She grunted, but said nothing more.

He _knew_ something was bothering her; he could see it in her eyes. However, the last thing he wanted to do was frustrate her into silence, so he politely cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Tell me: what do you enjoy most about Ningenkai? From what I've heard, you and your friend seem to spend a considerable amount time here."

She didn't respond right away, but when she did, her answer somewhat surprised him: "The rain."

"The rain?"

"Yes."

"May I ask why?"

Botan shot him a quick, uninterested look and muttered: "No…but since you already did, I suppose I could humor you—just this once." She threw back her head and gazed longingly at the darkened, night sky swirling with gloomy, grey storm clouds. "For the most part, it seems to fall as it pleases." She paused, her peaceful expression faltering. "And that means…it doesn't contain the unsolicited memories of those that I wish so hard to forget. It's untaintedIt's pure. It's…_free_."

And with that, she grew silent.

It had been the most the despondent girl had said to him all day…

How ironic.

They walked in silence for the next few blocks, though it was not an uncomfortable one. The blue-haired deity seemed to be off in her own little world, seething quietly about who knows what, while he was calmly trying to discern the most proficient way to deal with his current identity crisis. Luckily, he didn't have to think about it for long because after about ten minutes of silence, a familiar, high-pitched scream reached their ears…

And it _wasn't_ a happy one.

"GET YOUR _FILTHY _HANDS _OFF_ ME, YOU _REPULSIVE_ PAIR OF **MEAT**-**SACKS**!"

In response to the sudden outburst, Botan, who seemed to have suddenly awoken from her angry stupor, released a small puff of air through her nose while mumbling a soft "hn."

He merely sighed.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN **WHAT** YOU WERE TRYING TO DO! I WAS ALREADY VIOLATED ONCE BY THAT _DISGUSTING_, UNCOUTH **OGRE**, SO I'D **GREATLY** APPRECIATE IT IF YOU'D **COMPLETELY **REFRAIN FROM TOUCHING ME ALTOGETHER! THIS IS _NOTHING_ NEW! I BLEED _ALL _THE TIME!"

"You know, if I didn't know any better," Botan began, lips curving into a small smirk, "I'd say that Callie wasn't very fond of your spiky-haired friend." She then paused for a moment, expression hardening and eyes darkening as she added: "I wonder why _that_ could be."

Kurama sighed. "I know that Hiei's actions may seem reckless and imprudent, but trust me when I say that that's just his way of dealing with things—"

"I HAVE _FOUR_, **FREAKING** **LEGS**, YOU BRAINLESS PILES OF **DUNG**! THAT MEANS I CAN WALK **JUST FINE** BY MY **GODDAMN** _**SELF**_! I **DO** HAVE MY DIGNITY TO MAINTAIN YOU KNOW!"

Botan halted in mid-walk, Kurama quickly following suit. When she didn't say anything right away, he said: "He didn't mean any—"

"_No_," she replied sharply, heat rising to her cheeks. "No, I think he _did_." When he attempted to reply, her body stiffened, expression hardened, and eyes narrowed, causing him to frown.

"Botan…"

"Leave me alone," she whispered, her voice beginning to quiver. "Just…leave me alone." She then abruptly turned on her heels, threw back her hood, and ran off in the direction that the feline had been screeching, long hair fluttering behind her. Kurama respectfully gave her the distance she needed before heading after her. Yet as he followed, he couldn't help but thinking—repeating, over and over again until his brain felt numb…

Nice going, you _stupid_ fox.

Nice going.

**oooOOOooo**

Infuriating.

That boy was absolutely _infuriating._

She didn't care how attractive, sensitive, and patient he was—no, _seemed_. His irksome impassivity towards everything made up for that. Besides, if there was one lesson she had learned over the course of her pathetic-excuse-for-a-life, it was that pretty boys could _not_ be trusted.

They were deceivers to the core.

But seriously, what the _hell_ was wrong with him? Conversing with her like they were old friends, pretending like he understood how she was feeling—_defending _that ungrateful sonuva bitch! She had never, in all her life, felt so compelled to hate someone before she had gotten the chance to know them.

Never.

Botan ran until her vision blurred, her legs ached, and her stomach churned, only stopping when she collided with the lithe form of the spirit detective, who had apparently braced himself for the impact because he barely moved an inch. He then grabbed her gently by the shoulders and said: "Hey, careful there. Are you alright?"

She was crying. She knew she was. She couldn't exactly remember when she had started, but it must have been sometime within the past five minutes or so because she could feel the hot, stinging tears descending her cheeks in warm, salty drops. She gazed up at the sky for a brief moment and grinned, earning an odd look from the dark-haired detective.

"Botan?" he repeated softly.

She lowered her amethyst gaze to meet his brown one, a distant smile gracing her lips. "Don't you see? It isn't raining."

Yusuke shot his orange-haired partner a nervous look; he mirrored it. Callie, on the other hand, was staring furiously off into the distance, arms crossed, lips pursed, and eyes narrowed. It almost looked as if her face was in the midst of transforming, for it looked a bit more furry, fanged, and intimidating than usual.

"Botan," Yusuke repeated, steadying the deity's swaying body with the help of Kuwabara, who had stepped up beside him to grab an arm. "Are you _okay_?"

They weren't going to stop asking until she answered them—were they?

'Time to pull yourself together, 'ol girl,' she quietly told herself. 'You can deal with the surplus of despondence later…'

Yanking her arms out of either of their grips, she wiped her palms across her eyes, took in a deep breath, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She then directed her attention towards the orange-haired fighter, her expression darkening. "I'm assuming that you're Kuwabara: the one that likes to _piss off_ my cat."

Kuwabara seemed to have completely missed the latter part of her comment because he quickly dropped to his knees, grabbed her by the hands, put on the most charming expression he could muster, and replied: "Why, yes. Wes I am. It's a…" He paused, bringing her right hand to his mouth, but she quickly snatched it away before he could peck it. He continued regardless: "_pleasure_ to meet you, my dear."

Callie, who seemed to have come back into reality, hissed. "See? There you go with the touching thing again. What is it with you mortal men and _touching_? I just don't understand!" She quickly transformed into a large, seething caracal and stepped in-between the two teens and her life-long companion, causing Kuwabara to stumble back in surprise.

Botan merely sighed, examining her bloodied friend to ensure that her wounds weren't too severe. "Lay off of them, will you? I think you've put them through quite enough for one day." Her mouth twitched as she added: "Although, I'm not going to lie; I think I like this one the _most_ out of the four."

It was kind of weird to see a caracal look…_offended_. Probably because it wasn't exactly plausible, considering felines didn't generally contort their faces. But Callie wasn't you're average, everyday wildcat, so surprises were to be expected. "_You've GOT to be kidding me_."

Yusuke eyed her strangely. "Yeah. I think I'll have to second that. I mean, this _is_ Kuwabara we're talking about."

Botan rolled her eyes and shook her head, but said nothing to defend her case.

Kuwabara, on the other hand, was more than willing to speak up, for he quickly jumped to his feet, took on a silly heroic pose, and exclaimed: "See? I _told_ you that ladies dig sensitive men!"

Callie scoffed. "_Whatever. Just as long as you're not that INSIDIOUS, three-eyed barbarian.__"_ She paused, sitting neatly next to her Mistress. "_In that case, I suppose I really don't care."_

"So Botan," Yusuke began in an effort to ease the _literal_ tension between them, but also as a way to change the disturbing topic. "Is everything alright between you and Prince Almighty?" He gave her one of his trademark smirks, but it quickly faded once he noticed that she wasn't looking at him, but rather glaring profusely at the incoming redhead.

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's lovely. Just lovely." She disdainfully tore her gaze from the silent and expressionless newcomer to place it briefly on the spirit detective. "Now if you'll excuse me, Callie and I will be going."

"_YES_!" the huge feline screeched, jumping up into the air and reverting into her human form as she did so. "Thank the freaking _Lord_—er—I mean, uh…thank _goodness_!" She shot her companion a sheepish grin, who merely rolled her eyes in response.

"But…" Kuwabara interjected, "what about that little talking-baby-dude? Won't he—"

"My discussion with Koenma is over. I have nothing more to say to him for today, tomorrow, or the next _week_ for that matter. Now if you don't mind, I _really_ must be going." She sent Callie a knowing glance, who made a small "eep!" in response and quickly transformed into a small, black cat. Botan raised a brow and nudged her head towards the girl's newly-formed paws. "You sure those claws of yours are going to hold this time?"

The feline furiously nodded her head, which was…_also_ a rather peculiar sight: "_Don't worry! This time, they will! I SWEAR!"_

Kuwabara clasped his hands together and sighed. "Oh, she's so _cute_! Isn't she cute Ura—" He prudently stopped himself when he noticed that the spirit detective was giving him a weird look. "(cough) I mean…hey look. She turned into a kitten…again. Geeze, couldn't she think of something a little bit more, oh I don't know…_original?_" He tried to uphold an indifferent expression. Really, he did. One could tell by way his right eye was painfully twitching. But alas, after about five seconds of trying, his expression faltered and returned to its normal, dramatized state.

Callie hissed. "_Watch it, you despicable tub of LARD!"_ When her affronter continued to look at her adorningly rather than distressingly, she continued: "_Don't you think for ONE moment that just because I'm small, I can't slice your head off! Because I can! I really—"_

"Shut up, Callie and get the hell in," the seething deity snapped, pointing to her pocket.

The feline's mouth immediately shut as she proceeded to follow orders. "Yes m'am."

"So cute…" Kuwabara mumbled softly, his expression still the same. "So _incredibly_ cute…"

Yusuke merely shook his head and turned towards the blue-haired deity who now had a small lump hidden in the front pocket of her sweatshirt. "I guess we'll see you later then."

"_Yeah_," she droned. "_Later_."

And with that, she was gone.

"Hey," Yusuke began, tearing his eyes from spot that she had disappeared from to place them upon the silent redhead. "Is everything alright? She seemed a little…_off_ just now." When Kurama didn't reply or meet his gaze, his eyes widened. "Did you…you didn't tell her did you?"

"No," came his curt reply. "I haven't told her anything."

Yusuke wasn't satisfied. "Well then why was she—"

"I foolishly tried to defend Hiei's rash actions against Callie and herself. She did not…_appreciate_ it." When she spirit detective didn't respond, he added: "I will see you two later as well. I must be getting home now."

Yusuke opened his mouth to protest, but quickly stopped himself and merely nodded in response. Kuwabara did the same. When he was gone, the two teens headed off towards their respected homes.

"Hey Urameshi."

The dark haired boy raised a brow and shifted his eyes in his friend's direction. "Yeah?"

"What didn't Kurama tell her?"

Yusuke sighed and shook his head. "It's a long story. And frankly, I'm too damn tired to explain it to you at the moment."

Kuwabara frowned. "Oh yeah. In other words, you're _never_ going to tell me."

"Wow! You catch on fast!" The spirit detective yanked his hands from his pockets to applaud, earning a nasty glare from the orange-haired teen walking beside him.

"Oh shut up. I so knew you were going to say that."

"Therefore, you set yourself up for that entirely."

"I thought I told you to shut up!"

"Oh, you did? I'm sorry. I must have _missed_ that."

"Whatever."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Kuwabara spoke up again: "Do you really think Koenma is going to make us go after that guy and his creepy brother?"

Yusuke's relaxed expression flickered for a moment, but he quickly masked it over with indifference and shrugged. "I dunno. But if we do, I sure as hell hope we have those girls on our side. I mean, they even scare _me_."

Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah, I agree. Although, Callie can be pretty dang adorable when she's—" He quickly cut himself off as Yusuke shot him an annoyed glare. "Uh, I mean…yeah. We're gonna need all the help we can get to fight someone as crazy-tough as Toguro."

Yusuke, rolled his eyes, stretched his arms up behind his head, and yawned. "Yeah, that, and I sure as hell hope that damn toddler lets me get at _least_ 24 hours of sleep before I have to lift another finger. I mean two missions in a row? That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"Heh. For _you_ maybe—OW! Geeze, Urameshi! What the _hell_ was…! No, you know what? Never mind. Don't answer that."

**oooOOOooo**

Callie stood at the far end of the balcony outside of Botan's small, second-level apartment, elbows resting on the edge of the railing, chin settled in her open palms, and fingers drumming subconsciously against either side of her face. She was gazing tiredly out at the dimly lit park below, hoping to catch sight of some small, unsuspecting animal that she could playfully stalk to keep her entertained, but her attention must have been waning because she just wasn't seeing anything.

Lethargy. She blamed it on lethargy.

While she may have been feeling crappy _mentally_, physically she felt great. Botan had managed to heal most of the gaping wounds that her regenerative skin had been unable to able mend on its own, so, had it not been for the exhaustion, she would have been ready and rearing to go. But she couldn't get to sleep. No yet, at least…

Another loud sob emanated from the open patio door behind her, causing her to sigh.

Poor Botan.

She had been sobbing underneath her covers for the past _two_ hours now, mumbling incoherently about who knows what. The feline had sat next to her, stroking her hair throughout most of it, but after about an hour of receiving nothing but louder sobs in response to her soothing hushes, she decided that it would probably be best for her to just leave her be.

Botan did this every-so-often: curl up in her bed and cry where no one, but the feline, could see her. She would hold it in for days, weeks, sometimes months, and then, when the pain became too great for her fortified and callous shell to restrain, she hid away and let it all flow out. At first, she did it all the time, sometimes more than once a day. But as time passed, it gradually lessened to only a few times a month. While this may have seemed like an improvement, it was far from it. The girl hadn't healed; not at all. She had just learned how to contain and obscure her pain a lot more dexterously. Sometimes, the brunette herself had a hard time deciphering the false façade that the deity kept plastered upon her beautiful face.

It was sad to think, but the happy, bubbly, and fervent little girl she used to know and love was buried deep beneath this elder's one's cold and distant exterior, long forgotten and unwanted. That was why the feline _swore_ that if she _ever_ saw either one the bastards that made her blossoming Veela wilt into the despondent heap she was today…

She would _kill_ them.

It was that simple.

As far as this evening was concerned, Callie wasn't quite sure what had happened to cause Botan's mood to shift so drastically in such a short period of time, but she was pretty damn sure that it had something to do with that peculiar pretty-boy, _Kurama._ Koenma pissed Botan off a lot, sure, but never to tears. Her companion had learned to cope with the toddler's incessant prattling and immature actions years ago. As for those two mortal kids, while they may have been a little bit too touchy-feely, immature, and irrational for her taste, overall, they really weren't all that bad. Seriously, if anyone could put up with her screaming for more than ten minutes at a time, they were alright in her book.

Oh, and that three-eyed asshole was _her_ problem to deal with, not Botan's. So all that really left was Kurama: the quiet, impassive, and polite redhead whose true power and purpose had yet to be revealed.

As far as she knew, the boy had remained behind, in Reikai, to escort the girl back down to Ningenkai. Intentional or not, it gave him _plenty_ of time to cause some serious damage. In a way, it disappointed her because Kurama was the last member of that stupid spirit squad she thought would reveal himself to be an asshole at heart. On the other hand, it also meant she lacked good judgment in character, and while that _may_ have been somewhat true (she had her met her fair share of deceivers) this mistake just made her feel plain _stupid_.

Was there something more to him than met the eye? Cause on the outside, he was merely a handsome boy with a polite demeanor and kind eyes. But his spiritual energy was too ancient and refined to be that of a young mortal. Like Yusuke, he was powerful, yes, but his spiritual energy was that of a human's. Kurama's was not. And because she had yet to witness the redhead's power, she had no idea whether or not her hunch was correct.

Perhaps she would have to start doing some serious investigating. If not for her, than definitely for Botan…

"(hic) Callie…?"

The brunette's eyes widened as she quickly whirled around and dashed towards the open door, halting in the entryway. "Hey there, hun. You alright in there?"

The interior of her room was very dark; the thin, patio door wasn't wide enough to allow much moonlight in, and by standing in the doorway, she had blocked most of the rest. However, with her extra-incisive eyes, she was able to see the girl quite clearly: She was sitting up in her bed now with her body half concealed by crumpled sheets and hair lying all around her in silky pools of blue. She had one hand clutching the sheet close to her chest, while the other was outstretched towards her darkened silhouette, clawing at the air like it would suddenly become tangible.

Oh dear. Tonight was bad…

Very bad.

"Callie," she repeated, her voice very soft and slurred. "I (hic)…I need something _fuzzy_."

Callie smiled. Fuzzy she could do!

Swiftly, she jumped from her place at the door and onto the king-sized bed, transforming into a small, light brown Persian in the process. She then crawled over towards her companion's outstretched arms and remained there, rather squished, in her tight embrace, until the girl's quick, sporadic sobs softened and slowed into the rhythmic breathing of sleep. She had to wait a few extra moments for her muscles to relax, but once they did, she carefully slipped out of her grip and transformed back into her human-like form.

"Things are going to get better," she whispered, gently crawling backwards off the bed. "I _promise_." She then quietly left the room, lightly closing the patio door behind her. Staring off into the cool, dark night, she sighed. _Now_ what was she supposed to do? She didn't seem to be all that tired anymore, so a nap was out of the question...

Turning around, she jumped up onto the railing, crouching perfectly poised on the tips of her toes and pads of her fingers, and hastily rescanned the area, pupils dilated, ears perked, and tail swishing expectantly behind her. A soft rustle in a nearby tree drew her attention towards the left, just in time to see something swoop from a low hanging branch and onto the ground.

Ooo. A flying _squirrel_.

This was going to be _fun._

She grinned a sadistic, toothy grin and leaned forward, fingers curling tightly around the top of the railing. But just as she prepared herself to jump, she felt something appear by her shoulder in a quick rush of wind. This was followed by the eerie sensation of hot breath on her neck and, right next to her ear, a soft, sinister…

"Boo."

She screamed; not loudly, but the sudden shock made her forget that she was on the brink of falling forward, and, well…

She _fell_.

_That's_ when she screamed really loud.

She landed on her feet, of course—what kind of crazy cat wouldn't? But her hair was standing on end, her eyes were wide, her fangs and claws were visible, her heart was beating twelve-times too fast, and she was pissed as freaking hell.

"_What_ the…!"

A soft chuckle from above made her whip her head heavenwards and scream…

_Again_.

She pointed up towards a figure that was standing on a low tree branch and gaped, utterly at a loss for words except: "You _fucking _son of a bitch!"

The dark-haired apparition rolled his eyes, "teleported" to the ground, about ten to fifteen feet from her crouching form, and grunted. "Trust me. I want to be here as much as I want to impale myself."

Callie jumped to her feet, but she didn't attack. As much as she would have loved to claw the self-righteous smirk off of that flawless face of his, she refrained and merely hissed instead. "Then what the hell do you think you're doing here? Come back to finish what you started? Because if _that's _the case, then I'm afraid I won't be joining you." Before he could respond, she added: "See, unlike you, I have this thing called a _life_…"

Hiei scowled. "Shut up, you pathetic wench. My business here has nothing to do with revenge. Believe it…or don't. I really don't care."

Callie's sour expression was quickly replaced by one of angry confusion. Was this guy for real? "Do you honestly expect me to believe you? After you nearly chopped me to pieces?"

The fire demon narrowed his crimson eyes, folded his arms, and replaced his anger with indifference. "Actually, I don't care whether or not you trust me either. It's completely irrelevant to me. I'm just here to relay an important message."

The brunette's face contorted. A message? Hiei was delivering her a message? At 1:30 in the morning? After they nearly cut each other's throats? From who? Who the hell could have possibly managed to tame the ever-so-mighty keeper of the Jagan eye and compel him do their bidding? No wait. Hiei was _personally _delivering her a message. Either it was _really_ important or hell was beginning to freeze over…

And, for some reason, she was _seriously_ starting to believe that it was the latter.

"Okay then," she replied slowly, relaxing her tensed muscles both in her body and face. "I'll listen to this..._message_ of yours. But so help me, it _better_ be important."

Hiei seemed to ignore her snide remark, for he unfolded his arms and started to walk in a random direction, motioning for her to follow with a sharp jerk of his head.

Okay, _now_ he was starting to push it.

She remained rooted to the spot, angrily shaking her head as she retorted: "Uh-uh. No way, bucko. If you want to talk to me, then you can bring your goddamn ass over here and—"

"_Callie_…"

Her breath caught in her throat. He had never called her by her actual name before…

"Follow me" He then turned around and continued on his way.

Callie groaned. Damn him.

Just damn him.

She made sure to keep a good distance between the two of them as they walked—five, six feet maybe—and her eyes remained on his sheathed sword at all times. She couldn't see his hands from where she was standing, so as far as she was concerned, every step was a dangerous one. They didn't seem to be walking far; maybe 45, 50 yards from Botan's apartment building. But their surroundings were becoming more and more secluded, so her apprehension was not alleviated.

Finally, after about two minutes of deathly-silent walking, they arrived at a small enclosed circle of tall trees; a place where the moonlight was barely visible through the dense foliage that hung over them like a luminescent, silvery canopy. The fire demon stopped dead in the center of it and turned around to face her, face stoic and eyes unblinking.

Well, _now_ she felt a little better. The jerk-wad wouldn't have led her to such a dark and shadowy area if he had wanted to fight her; that'd be giving her a huge advantage. And while she may have hated the little bastard, she knew he wasn't stupid.

"Okay," she said, breaking the eerie silence that surrounded them. "You've got my attention. Now what do you want?"

Hiei's expression grew sour as he crossed his arms, directed his eyes heavenward, and mumbled, "I swear I'm going to _kill_ that stupid fox…"

Callie raised a confused and annoyed brow. "I beg your pardon?"

The dark-haired apparition quickly snapped his crimson glare back in her direction. "Look. We have somewhat of a problem."

She gave him a weird look. "_We_? As in _you_ and _me_?"

Hiei snarled. "Yes, did I stutter?"

Callie grunted. "_Okay_. And just _why_ am I supposed to care?"

"_Apparently,_" he continued sharply, ignoring her irritated comment, "Urameshi and that stupid ape had a run-in with Toguro earlier this evening."

Okay.

_Now_ he had her attention

"Evidently, the half-breed thinks the spirit detective's got skills. So he challenged him to a fight…to the death."

Callie released a breath she hadn't realized she'd be holding. "Did he refuse? Tell me he refused!"

Hiei snorted. "Do you _honestly_ think that a demon of Toguro's intelligence and class _wouldn't_ have come prepared for such an answer?"

Her blood ran cold as her voice escaped her lips in a soft, quivering whisper: "Oh no…"

The fire demon didn't hesitate to alleviate her fear. Instead, he continued, his voice cool and calm: "You are aware that the Dark Tournament is fast approaching, am I correct?"

She could only nod.

He paused for a moment to close his eyes. "Well…Urameshi was told that if he didn't collect a team of five, formidable members and enter the tournament within three months time, than every person he knew and/or cared for would be murdered without mercy."

Her legs had been wobbling like mad ever since they arrived at the secluded ring of trees, but she had managed to keep them steady for the most part, relying on her cat-like muscles to correct the imbalance. But after discovering the real truth behind Toguro's master plan, she couldn't seem to remember how to stand anymore and collapsed to her knees, gaping disbelievingly into a non-existent void, her expression listless, and her heart pounding so hard, she could feel it in every crevice of her body. For while she sympathized greatly with the newfound spirit detective and his unwarranted predicament, there was something else about the situation that shook her to the core…

_Karasu_.

He was supposedly in league with Toguro. That meant, wherever the big brute went…

The silent and sadistic raven would follow.

"Who…" she began, snapping her gaze back towards the impassive, moonlit-face of her messenger, "is Yusuke going to recruit as his fifth member?" Her voice sounded breathless and her tongue felt like a thick piece of sandpaper she couldn't spit out.

The black-haired apparition smirked. "Hn. Who do you _think_?"

She fell back onto her shins, took in a deep, needed breath, and swallowed. Had they been in a different situation, Callie would have immediately retaliated against such an infuriating comment with an impatient curse word or two. But at the current moment, she seemed to have forgotten how to reciprocate his evident sarcasm, so instead she said: "I don't know…" Her eyes drifted downwards. "But I would greatly appreciate it if you would quit playing games with me and answer my question." She glanced back up at him. "Is he expecting either Botan or me to assist him?"

He paused for a brief moment, blinked, as if to refocus on her, and said: "I don't know."

She blinked as well.

Wait…what?

"Then…" she slowly stumbled to her feet, never once taking her eyes off of his, "if this is in _no _way directly related to either of us…why the hell are you telling me?"

He responded quickly; almost _too_ quickly. "Because."

Her eyes narrowed. Oh no. He did _not_ just go there!

Seething, the cat stomped furiously up towards his still figure, stopping mere inches from his face, and screamed. "BE-_CAUSE_?"

His expression didn't falter as he replied, "Yes. _Because_."

She gaped at him in disbelief. "Well, I'm _sorry_! But you're going to have to give me a better reason then _that_!"

"Well I'm sorry too. Because that's the only damn answer that you're _going_ to get." She started to retaliate, but he cut her off: "I don't have to explain myself to the likes of an incompetent woman such as yourself."

"Hiei, I'm _not_ in the mood for this! Not after what you just told me!"

"Frankly, I don't care."

"HIEI!"

"You know, I think I've had just about _enough_ of you for one day."

Snarling, Callie reached out and grabbed the apparition by the scruff of his neck, shoved her face way up in his, and hissed, "_Answer_ _the fucking question_."

He stared at her for fifteen, _agonizingly_ silent seconds before narrowing his eyes slightly and coldly, carelessly, and unblinkingly replying, "Go to hell."

And with that, he shoved her body away from his and disappeared off into the night, leaving the feline in a startled and furious heap on the dark, grassy ground.

**oooOOOooo**

She had been dreaming.

About what, she didn't know, but it must have been a peaceful one because for the first time in a long while, she felt relaxed, warm, and safe. The walls no longer felt like they were crashing down around her and the terrible lump in her throat had disintegrated. Her breathing had steadied, her uncontrollable need to sob had vanished, and the knot in her stomach had untangled itself.

Hell, even the atmosphere _around_ her felt good. It was light, airy, and cool, and smelled pleasantly refreshing. Almost like…

_Flowers_?

Botan's eyes flew open as she bolted upright in bed, heart beating rapidly and chest heaving. She quickly scanned the immediate area, eyes wide and alert. The door to the patio was open, allowing a little bit of moonlight to seep into the darkened room, but other than that, the place seemed empty. Callie must have decided to leave her alone and forgotten to close the door behind her.

Relaxing her body, the blue-haired Veela took in a deep breath, stretching her arms high over her head, and sighed. Yes, she felt much better now. Especially since the air was no longer stuffy and suffocating. It even _smelled_ good. Almost like…

Her peaceful expression faltered.

What the hell?

She hesitantly sniffed the air, eyes widening as the alluring aroma of freshly-cut flowers overwhelmed her senses once more, making her head spin and stomach flip-flop. She crinkled up her nose in confusion.

Where the hell was it coming from? Outside?

She exasperatedly re-directed her gaze over towards the open door once more, her eyes sub-consciously lingering past the foot of her bed in the process.

It took a moment for it to register in her tired brain, but after about five seconds of fruitless staring into the luminescent doorway, she did a double-take and flung her gaze back towards the base of her bed. For there, lying in full-bloom atop her pearly-white sheets was a breathtaking, red rose, sparkling lavishly in the inflowing moonlight…

And it was still moist.

**oooOOOooo**

Well, that only took like…_forever_. Being a perfectionist really sucks. **:-(** Well, tell me what ya'll thought…or don't. I'm still going to write the story regardless.

Oh, and I'm aware that Flying Squirrels don't really live in dense cities…let alone Japan for that matter, but it was the first, "wingless" nocturnal animal that I could think of, so DEAL. **:-**P


	6. Preparations and Revelations

**Disclaimer**: What? I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Haven't you heard? Some guy named Yoshihiro Togashi does.

**oooOOOooo**

Chapter 6: **Preparations and Revelations**

_He hadn't meant for this to happen._

_He really hadn't._

_His plan had been to just get in, get out, and get on with his life. Sure, interference had been expected; it always was. But this?_

_This was ridiculous. _

_He had raided Lord Kakashi's Vault a few times before, and each time, he had been met by a horde of dumb and useless henchmen. This time, however, when there was actually something **exquisite** to pilfer, he was met, instead, by a horde of formidable humans and half-breeds…_

_**Spirit**_ _**Detectives**_

_One, he could have handled. Two to five, he could have evaded. But **twenty-five**? _

_It was absurd. Absolutely absurd._

_What didn't make any sense was how the pesky brats had **known** he was going to be plundering the cat-demon's estate that evening. The only other soul that had known about his plans was Kuronue, his dark-haired accomplice, so unless there was a third source that had overheard their scheming…_

_It just didn't make any—_

"_Youko!_ _On your __**left**__!"_

_The silver-haired kitsune thrashed his head in said direction, only to cringe in pain as a fiery blast flew past his shoulder, grazing his skin. "Shit!"_

_See, that was the other problem. While their pursuers may have only been measly humans, King Yama's **lap dogs** if you will, about 95 of them were masters of one of the fox's most insufferable weaknesses…_

_**Fire**_

"_Dammit, Kurama!_ _Stop thinking about your woman and __**focus**__!"_

_Youko shot his collaborator a nasty look, struggling to keep his pace even with the dark-haired youkai's. "I'm not thinking about—"_

_His partner cut him off with a wave of his hand and a simultaneous retort: "Just shut up and **run**!" He twirled his jeweled pendent around in his clenched fist a couple of times before adding, "And just so you know, you're a **crappy** liar!"_

_If there was one thing that Kuronue didn't handle well, it was fiascos like these. And at the moment that was a **very** bad thing._

_Unfortunately, his bat-winged accomplice had been somewhat right: the blue-haired goddess had been involuntarily drifting in and out of his thoughts since the chase had initiated. He had left her back in his underground lair with her big-mouthed feline and a promise that he'd return, but at this rate, he wasn't exactly sure if he would. And if there was one demon that he **couldn't** rely on to care for the girl in his absence, it was Kuronue. The two of them fought like cats and dogs—well, that and the demon was currently in the same predicament as he, so…there wasn't much he could do for the fox if they **both** died. _

_A sharp pain tore through the kitsune's leg as another flaming mass flew past his body, causing him to stumble. He heard Kuronue gasp: "Youko!"_

_He pushed the bat demon's extended hand away, keeping his pace, but limping and cringing with each step he took. "We can't— augh—we can't go on like this!"_

"_I know!" came his curt reply. "But just what do you suggest we __**do**__?"_

_Well, considering he already knew how risky it was to fight fire with deadly, carnivorous plants, head-to head combat was out of the question. And since his leg was severely torn up, as well as one of his arms, running wasn't going to be an option for him much longer. Therefore, it was time to choose the lesser of two evils…_

"_Kuronue…"_

"_**What**__?"_

_His pace began to slow. "You're going to have to go on without me."_

_The bat demon shot him a disbelieving look, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "Are you **mad**?" He skillfully dodged another attack by ducking, causing the very tip of his fraying hat to get seared off. He cringed, but went on: "No, wait. I'm sorry. What I meant to say was: HAVE YOU **COMPLETELY** LOST YOUR FUCKING **MIND**?"_

_The kitsune's pace slowed a bit more, so, to keep himself from getting hit, he began to swerve in and out of trees. "Perhaps."_

_The dark-haired demon mimicked his movements, struggling to keep sight of his silvery hair. "Then what in **Kami's** name are you trying to—"_

"_Just __**go**__, will you? I'll keep them distracted for as long as I can!"_

_The bat youkai growled, patting the top of his smoking hat with a clawed hand. "No way, Kurama! There's not a chance in the seven levels of hell that I'd—"_

"_**Dammit**__, Kuronue!_ _Just let me __**finish**__!" He paused to release a painful breath of air. His partner remained silent. "Since I'm just about out of commission, you can run back to the liar, fetch Botan, and bring her to wherever it is I happen to lie after all of this is over. Keep her out of sight, of course, until the coast is clear. When it is, take her to my body. She can heal me. I'll be fine."_

_Kuronue laughed, loud and mockingly. "I'm afraid to say this, Youko, especially to you of all demons, but that has got to be the **stupidest** proposition I have ever heard!"_

_The fox sneered, throwing a seed behind him. "I'm sorry, did you have a **better** idea?"_

_The bat youkai was quiet for a moment, the only sound escaping him being heavy panting. Finally, he reluctantly replied: "Fine. You'll have your way. But I swear on my **life** that if this doesn't work, I'll kill the girl—**and** her stupid cat!"_

_The silver-haired kitsune didn't have time to argue. After all, he knew the feline wouldn't allow for it, and Botan was rather formidable herself when she wanted to be. Instead, he skidded to a stop, ducking behind his germinating Ojigi plant for cover. "Just **go**. And **don't** look back!"_

_Kuronue didn't heed to his command. Instead, he paused for a moment to duck alongside him, face seemingly dead-panned, but the kitsune knew better. "You're stupid, you know that?"_

_Kurama snorted, pushing him away. "Not half as stupid as you—now **move**!"_

_The bat demon shot him one last look before bolting upright and heading off. However, his choice to stop hadn't been a wise one, for some of the detectives had anticipated his last few moves…_

_And fired…_

"_**KURONUE**__!"_

_The wounded fox could only watch in horror as his friend was hit 5 consecutive times in the back by sizzling, red and white fireballs, throwing him off his feet. His airborne body then slammed into a near-by tree, convulsed a little, and slid to the ground, his wings charred and bent in odd directions._

_Was he dead? Kurama couldn't tell. All he knew was that he was pissed…_

_Very**, very** pissed._

_He let out an angry roar before hurling a horde of 50+ seeds in the direction of the detectives. Unfortunately, most of them were charred before they had a chance to germinate, and those that did were trampled to death. A few of the more precise spores had managed to embed themselves in the chests of a couple of front-liners, but the overall damage to the group was completely negligible._

_His golden eyes widened as his screaming Ojigi plants were torn up from the ground in front of him, leaving his 7-foot frame open for a direct attack. He grabbed his bleeding shoulder and slowly turned around in a complete circle, only to find himself surrounded; the angry mass of flaming hands was slowly closing in on him from all sides, the figures themselves masked by a thick sheet of grey and black smoke. And, much to his dismay, the Spirit Detectives must have finally lost their patience with him, for they wasted no time initiating their onslaught, and the fox could only gape into the orange void as over 20 fireballs closed in on his sagging body…_

_This was it._

_This was the end._

_Youko Kurama, the infamous Thief King, had finally fallen._

_And as his body ignited into one, ferocious flame, charring his flawless skin to the bone, he couldn't help think…_

'_I'm sorry, Botan…I'm so sorry.'_

_And with that, he transformed into his spiritual fox form and fled the burning area, never to return again._

**oooOOOooo**

"Suichi…Suichi please don't look so sad. It mars your beautiful face."

Kurama sat immobile in a small chair next to his mother's hospital bed, elbows resting against the edge of the mattress and forehead in his hands. He slowly looked up at the sound of her weak voice, smiling wanly as his gaze rested upon her beaming visage. How the woman could be so cheerful at a time like this was beyond him.

"I'm sorry, mother," he replied softly, running his hands through his hair and pushing his body away from the bed. "It had already happened once before. I never…wanted it to happen again."

"I know," she replied softy. "Neither did I."

It was true, his mother had fallen ill not too long ago with an unknown disease that the doctors couldn't diagnose. But he had used the mystical powers of the Forlorn Hope to remedy that. Now, his mother was sick again, except this time she had Ovarian Cancer, and Kurama couldn't help but mourn over the fact that she was inevitably going to die. After all, she was barely eating, she was hallucinating, and, worst of all, her entire body was beginning to shut down, organ by organ. The cancer was spreading incredibly fast; it would take a _miracle_ to cure her…

And that was something he no longer had.

He gently brushed a couple of stray, black locks from her drooping brown eyes and sighed. He hadn't told a soul about his mother's condition aside from Hiei (and even the fire demon had to coax it out of him); he just hadn't seen the point. Besides, everyone had their own burdens to deal with at the moment…

This one was his.

Shiori moaned softly, placing a hand over her abdomen and clenching her eyes shut; her smile had long vanished. "I will say, though," she began, her voice sounding somewhat strained, "that it isn't fair…" She slowly turned her head back towards her son. "For you. It isn't fair at all."

Kurama placidly took one his mother's bony hands within both of his and whispered, "It's alright, mother. Just go back to sleep. You need your rest."

She shook her head. "No, Suichi. You don't seem to understand…"

"I do, mother. Believe me, I do."

But Shiori wasn't listening to him; at this point, she was on the brink of rationality and senselessness. Trying to reason with her was fruitless. "No, Suichi. No." She took in a deep breath as another wave of pain washed over her fragile body. Kurama squeezed her hand tighter, but said nothing. "I never remarried, I never had any more children, and since I had to delve into our savings account to pay for my medical care, I have virtually nothing left in the bank. (sigh) I know that you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but I can't help but worry…" Tears began to fill her sagging, brown eyes as she gazed into his emerald ones. "About you. About what's going to happen to you when I…" She didn't finish her sentence. She couldn't.

"It's okay," he murmured, untangling one of his hands from hers so that he could catch a couple of her cascading tears with his thumb. "I don't want you to worry about this now. I'll be fine." He had wanted to add, "and so will you," but even in her semi-delusional state, she would have known that it was a blatant lie, so he stopped himself there.

His mother looked at him, a smile once again gracing her lips. She looked so terribly thin…"Oh, I know, honey." She sniffed and coughed a couple of times before adding, "But that doesn't make it any less unfair." She then turned her head the other way, squeezing his hand one last time before dozing off into a light, morphine-induced slumber.

Kurama gently removed his hand from hers, scooted forward, and leaned his elbows against the edge of her mattress once more. While Shiori had been correct about his capabilities, she had been wrong about something else…

If there was one thing that was unfair about the situation, it was not what _she_ was currently doing to him, but what _he_ had already done to her. He was a spineless, two-faced swindler who had been purposefully deceiving his own flesh and blood for the past 15+ years for the mere sake of remedying his demon self. Hell, he had even planned on leaving the poor woman at one point so that he could search for Botan, but when she fell ill the first time, he took pity on her situation and remained behind. And not only that, but he had taken the place of whatever human soul she had originally conceived; he had put her in danger, countless times, without her knowledge; and he left her, sometimes, for weeks at a time, but she never questioned him.

She trusted him.

She loved him.

She cared more about his future well-being than her own preordained death.

And what did he do for her in return?

He _lied_.

He placed his head in his hands and sighed. "You have nothing to be sorry for," he whispered, listening to the soft sounds of her rhythmic breathing. He looked back up at her with an expression she would have scolded him for making.

If there was anyone who should've been sorry…

It was him.

**oooOOOooo**

If there was one thing that Yusuke Urameshi had learned over the past five months or so, it was that life was incredibly precious. After all, he had already had the displeasure of losing his once; he didn't want to lose it again.

But his current job as Spirit Detective of Ningenkai required him risk his goddamn ass almost every single day, so the possibility that he _would_ lose his life again was more likely than not. And that got him to thinking: was there such thing as a third chance? He really didn't know; he had never bothered to ask Hinegeshi for fear of just..._knowing_. It scared him.

A lot.

And now, he was being forced to go up against, probably, one of the most powerful demons in existence. Or, at least one of the most powerful that he had ever had the displeasure of encountering. And did that scare him?

_Hell_ yes.

For all he knew, by accepting Toguro's proposal, he was signing an inevitable death wish. But he couldn't just stand idly by while some punk-ass, sun-glassed hot-head went around killing everybody he had ever cared about; he would never be able to live with himself if he did. And Toguro, being the evil son-of-a-bitch that he was, knew this, which was why he had made the detective that seemingly preposterous offer; it was one that he _couldn't_ refuse. So, in the event that something happened to him after all of this was over, the detective was strolling around town, paying some of these "cared-for" individuals a visit. Not to say goodbye or anything…

Just to say hi.

And he was saving one of the best for last.

The dark-haired teen shifted impatiently on his feet, hands rammed deeply into his jeans pockets, shoulders slouched, and face set in an indignant frown. "Aw, come on. Don't _tell_ me she's not home…"

He removed his right hand from his pocket for the third time and raised it to knock, but a series of muffled clicks stopped him just as his knuckles grazed the door. His sullen display immediately perked.

About _time._

When the door opened, he couldn't help but smile. She looked genuinely surprised to see him, which, he supposed, was understandable. It was usually _she_ that made the house calls, not vice versa.

"Yusuke? What are you…?"

Yusuke held up his hand to silence her. "Listen, Keiko," he said, trying to sound gentle. "There are a few things I need to say to you right now, so I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from asking questions and just listen…okay?"

The brunette nodded slowly, brown eyes wide and tentative. In all honesty, the girl looked utterly terrified. Why, he wasn't sure. Maybe she knew…"Um…okay." She eyed him curiously for a few seconds before gasping, blushing, and exclaiming all at the same time: "Oh! Would you like to come in?"

He laughed. She really looked cute when she did that. "That's alright. I can't stay long anyway." He paused for a moment to look down at his shoes. "I, uh…" He looked back up at her soft eyes and slightly parted lips. "I just wanted to say thanks, you know. For everything you've done for me."

Keiko blinked. "You're…_thanking_ me? For wha…?" She squeaked and raised a hand to her mouth. "Oh! I wasn't supposed to do that, was I?"

Yusuke slowly shook his head, smiling nonetheless. "No, but it's alright. Besides, this must all seem pretty freaky to you. Not to mention random."

She smiled, revealing a few of her pearly-white teeth, and leaned her shoulder against the open doorway. "Yeah. Maybe just a little."

"Well, I mean it." His smile vanished, expression growing stern. "Really. There weren't many people who believed in me back in that god-forsaken Junior High. Not many people who cared…" He paused to take in her unexpected, slightly stunned reaction. He had seriously been half-expecting her to slap him or something. It was just a natural Keiko-reaction, using that damned hand of hers for such trivial violence…

"Yusuke, you don't have to—"


End file.
